Animal I have become
by kely-jo
Summary: She opened her mouth to say something. Anything. But instead of words, a low menacing growl rumbled through the air. In an instant, the pain was gone. Her mother was right. Caroline was free.
1. Chapter 1

October 10th 2003- Mystic Falls

She couldn't understand what was happening. Why did it have to hurt so much? Everything was going really great. Her birthday parties were usually the single most talked about thing at school. Everyone looked forward to it. Caroline's 11th birthday was no different. The entire mansion was decorated just the way she wanted with streamers and balloons. Her father had even gotten her a few bouquets of yellow and white lilies. Lilies were her favourite flowers. Her birthday cake was the exact two tiered Disney Beauty and the Beast cake she had seen in one of her mother's glossy magazines. Her mother had even gotten her made a yellow dress like the one Belle wore. All her friends were here.

She had been running around playing hide and go seek. Tyler didn't mean to push her. He wouldn't dare. But she fell anyway and she felt this sharp pain in her lower tummy.

She told her mother about the blood. She knew what it mean't. Her mother had talked to her about it and she had learned about the menstrual cycle in school. But what she couldn't understand was why her father told everyone to go home and that the party had come to an end because Caroline wasn't feeling well. She was feeling fine. She didn't want the party to end. When her mother started pacing, Caroline became nervous. But she wasn't afraid. She wouldn't be afraid of a little bit of blood. She knew what it mean't. She was a big girl now.

The idea of being a big girl made her happy.

Until the pain started.

The pain was excruciating. A devastating kind of pain. Utter torment as convulsions wracked her small frame. It felt like every single bone in her body was breaking and being crushed. She felt like her insides were being skewered. Her vision became blurred with her tears and her screams only stopped when she lost her voice. She looked to her mother with pleading eyes and she could see the sympathy there. Her mother's eyes were filled with unshed tears as she leaned over her daughter, holding her tightly as Caroline lay on the cold hard dirty floor of the cellar. Whilst her father stood silently watching from a short distance away.

Time stood still, and as the seconds ticked by, the pain grew worse. Caroline idly noticed other members of her father's pack standing by her father. "Perhaps it's time" Tyler's father said. "The transformation is almost complete."

"No" Caroline's mother practically screeched. "I will not chain my daughter to the wall like a common beast."

"Liz" Bill said patiently, "Caroline may be just a little girl, but she's an alpha. She's strong. If we allow her to roam free there will be consequences" he explained not unkindly, allowing emotion to show on his face for the first time since that morning when Caroline bled for the first time.

Her senses were becoming sharper, she realised. Despite the excruciating pain, Caroline was not numb to everything else. She was well aware of her surroundings. She began to pick up on her mother's distinct scent, her father's, Mr and Mrs. Lockwood, Miss Sheila and Mrs. Gilbert. Caroline lifted her head to look at them and her vision was no longer blurred. She saw clearly. She tried to push the pain to the back of her mind, and ground her teeth together as a fresh onslaught of pain began. She was no longer in control of her limbs. She felt as though her arms and legs were being crushed, twisted and broken apart all at the same time.

"Mommy" Caroline choked out, unable to take it any more. It was her birthday. Birthday's were supposed to be good happy days. What did she ever do to deserve being in so much pain?

"SShhh" Liz said, holding onto Caroline tighter, as if trying to physically hold her together. "It's okay baby... you're okay" she chanted over and over, resting her cheek against Caroline's cheek. Caroline could feel her mother's tears on her face. She could almost smell the salty tears, taste them. There was a pounding in Caroline's head... the strong steady beat of her mother's heart so close to her ear. Caroline focused on that sound.

"My sweet little baby girl" Liz practically cooed. "This pain... it'll all go away soon and then you'll be free baby. One day you're going to be queen and this pain... this pain is your strength Caroline. This suffering is your pride and glory. Your tears are your loyalty, your compassion, your greatness. Don't be afraid."

"Liz" Bill tried again.

"I said no" Liz practically snarled.

"Liz" Miranda piped up.

"The boy scouts are setting up camp tonight, if you let Caroline go, she'll tear them apart" Miss Sheila said plainly, but glancing at mother and daughter with a pained expression.

"I don't care" Liz said, her voice barely above a whisper. But by the way Mrs. Gilbert and Miss Sheila flinched, Caroline was sure everyone heard what her mother had said. "They're humans" Liz continued, her voice barely containing the misery she felt over having to watch her young daughter go through such a painful transformation. "Their lives mean nothing."

Caroline cried out, as she felt her head was about to explode. Her body trashed around and she clawed on the ground. She vaguely registered the long deep claw marks on the concrete floor, but didn't have time to react to it as she felt something happening to her jaw. Her entire mouth felt aflame, as though all her teeth were being pulled out at the same time.

"Are you sure Liz" Bill asked his wife one more time. The alpha would do anything to appease his mate.

Caroline looked up at her mother, who was getting up and leaving her. She opened her mouth to say something. Anything. She needed her mother to hold on to. She needed something to anchor herself to... so that the pain would not consume her. But instead of words, a low menacing growl rumbled through the air.

In an instant, the pain was gone.

Her mother was right. Caroline was free.

* * *

October 10th 2003- London

With a deep growl, he stumbled off the bed, falling to his knees, grasping his head in pain. The pain was excruciating. Far worse than anything he had ever endured in his rather long existence. It stifled him. Clawed at his heart. He felt like his body was being broken and battered, ripped apart into shreds. That was not unusual. He had been tortured before. He knew the flavour of every kind of torment that existed. He endured it all. But this was different. What completely caught him off guard was the pain he felt in his very soul. He felt like his soul was being set on fire, burning him from the inside out.

His latest victims, were no longer sprawled out on the bed, but perching at the edge, looking at him in utter fear. One of the women screamed, gathering up the sheets to cover herself naked body with. But the other woman seemed frozen in place.

"Leave" he snarled, making no effort to stop his hybrid features from appearing. His eyes flashed yellow, specks of gold tingeing his irises. He felt his sharp double fangs piercing the inside of his mouth. He tasted his own blood.

"Leave" he shouted, gathering his strength to grab the woman who sat unmoving. He roughly tugged on her arm, barely realising that she was in a state of shock, her expression blank but her body trembling in fear. The other woman had already run off with the sheet wrapped around her body, not even bothering to put her clothes back on.

His grip tightened on the petrified woman, as his vision became blurred. He fell to his knees once again, bringing the woman down with him. At some point, her senses must have come back to her because she started to struggle, trying in vein to wrench her arm out of his grasp. Images flashed through Klaus' mind, he groaned, letting the woman go and grabbing his head. He tugged roughly on his hair, as wave after wave of pain wracked his body. An all too familiar animalistic urge took over, and before the woman could make it to the door, Klaus flashed over to her and sunk his fangs into her neck. As he drank, listening to her heart beat slow, he felt an unfamiliar warmth in his chest.

It was not a comforting feeling. There was a sense of longing, emptiness, loneliness... need. Where he had felt invincible, unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with before. Now he felt...

Incomplete.


	2. Chapter 2

October 10th 2013- 11:24 am- The Lockwood mansion, Mystic Falls

"Oh come on, what's the harm in one date?" Tyler cajoled, trying to block her path.

Caroline quickly out stepped him. "Tyler we've talked about this" she said, for what must have been the hundredth time. "You and I are just friends. I came to personally give you an invitation to my party, as my friend. You're not my date... I think I've made it pretty clear to you that I have no interest in dating you" she said softly, trying hard to not hurt his feelings.

"But you're interested in dating a vampire?" Tyler snapped. "That's a fucking disgrace to your family name Care. Did your father hear that you invited the Salvatores to your little soiree?" Tyler asked angrily.

"First of all, the Salvatores are my friends. I'm not dating anyone" Caroline explained, a little wary that Tyler would get worked up over nothing so quickly. But she was even more unnerved by the fact that he knew that she had invited Stefan and Damon to her party. Was he keeping tabs on her? "And second of all, if my father had seen the Salvatores as a threat, they'd already be dead. But they're not. Being vampires does not condemn them to death Tyler. Especially since they were originally from Mystic Falls."

"Considering they're already dead" Tyler scoffed. "Mystic Falls is a safe haven for werewolves Caroline... your father allowing vampires to take up residence here is sending a bit of a wrong message don't you think? And it's the fact that you're the one who convinced your father to allow them to stay is what I'm most worried about. Is this the type of leader you're going to be?" he said sarcastically.

"So what if I have two vampire friends. Or human friends? Or witch friends?" Caroline asked, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Matt doesn't count" Tyler said, shaking his head, "witches don't count either."

"Of course not" Caroline rolled her eyes. "Because they're your friends too."

"You don't get it do you?" Tyler said, his tone biting. "Vampires and werewolves are natural enemies Caroline. This whole idea you have in your head that we can all live together happily ever after isn't realistic. You're putting yourself and the people of Mystic Falls in danger by allowing those blood suckers to roam around freely. If it was up to me, I would have had them staked the minute they stepped into Mystic Falls."

"Well that's not the type of leader I want to be" Caroline stated seriously. "I'm not going to condemn somebody just because they're a different shade of monster from me. When I become alpha..."

"Come on Care, let's be honest" Tyler chuckled, his tone condescending. "Word has already gotten out about you. Legend says that you're the first alpha female in over three thousand years. Soon alphas from all over the world are going to come to Mystic Falls to challenge you and claim you as their own and Mystic Falls will be for their taking. I'm just looking out for you" he stated arrogantly.

Caroline internally fumed at his gall, but kept her demeanour calm and collected. Her father always said, a true born alpha always had perfect control.

Her father had started receiving messengers and getting proposals from alphas since Caroline turned eighteen. The idea of being sold off to the highest bidder was not a new concept to her. But Bill Forbes made it clear time and time again that Caroline wasn't some rare little trophy to be added to a collection. She was the heir to the Mystic Falls pack. When they come, he would fight for his baby girl. He taught her how to fight for herself.

Taking a deep, calming breath, "when your father and your pack came to town, my father could have either killed him or forced him to submit. But instead, my father not only allowed your father to keep his title as alpha, but invited him and his pack to stay in Mystic Falls and we've lived peaceably ever since."

"But let's make one thing clear" Caroline said softly, but the challenge in her voice did not go unnoticed as Tyler visibly tensed, "Mystic Falls is Forbes territory. Mystic Falls will always be Forbes territory. And when my father decides to step down and I take his place as alpha, anyone who dares to challenge me will suffer the dire consequences of their mistake. I will not cower in fear. I will not submit. I know they're coming..." she said, her eyes flashing yellow, "and when they do, you can either stand by my side or get the hell out of my way, but you will never take my place. Do I make myself perfectly clear to you Tyler?"

Tyler's jaw clenched, as he tried to get a handle on his emotions. Caroline knew what he wanted. As if he could ever fool her? With a grade point average that barely got him into college, the scent of a different were- slut on him almost every other night. Tyler was an alcoholic, druggie, over privileged, pretentious douche bag whose only interest in her was her title. He didn't care about protecting the people in Mystic Falls. He didn't give a damn about making the wolves lives' better. Tyler only cared about himself. By talking to him so plainly, she had triggered his well known anger. His hands were balled into fists and he was practically shaking, but he wouldn't dare physically lash out at her.

Standing almost two feet shorter, her lithe frame slight compared to his bulky built. Caroline could easily take him down. Tyler had no control. He was not a true born alpha. Even though Mr. Lockwood was not forced to submit, when Tyler was born, the true born alpha status did not pass down to him. She could feel it in her bones. That same pull she felt to recognise and respect her father and Mr. Lockwood was entirely absent when she was with Tyler. Tyler was just a mutt.

"Tyler" Mrs. Lockwood called as she entered the room, breaking the tension.

Tyler breathed a heavy sigh, his anger slowly subsiding as he relaxed. "Hey mom" he said, giving her a small smile.

"Caroline, sweetheart, happy birthday. What are you doing here? Your mother is terribly worried about you" Mrs. Lockwood chided, reaching out to put a wayward strand of Caroline's hair behind her ear. "Something about a Zuhair Murad gown... poor thing couldn't quite remember which one you were showing her. They're all quite expensive though" Mrs. Lockwood said, her brows puckering slightly, but she kept a smile firmly on her face.

"Oh shoot" Caroline said, hastily grabbing her purse. "I narrowed down a couple gowns that I liked, but I just couldn't decide on which one to choose. I mean, I know Zuhair Murad is like really expensive, but it's sort of a birthday present and a graduation present in one, so daddy said I could splurge a little. I just think he's super happy I'm moving back home now that college is finally over. Even though Whitmore isn't even that far away and I've been coming home every weekend, so I don't see what the big deal is but..." Caroline rambled, giving a nervous chuckle.

"Well I should go..." she said, making her way out without sparing Tyler a glance. She could hear Mrs. Lockwood's amused chuckle following her out.

* * *

October 10th 2013- 3:17 pm- Forbes estate, Mystic falls.

"I just don't understand why he keeps going on and on about this when we clearly both know that I'm not his mate" Caroline said, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "It's like... he's becoming less and less of my friend and more of an ego maniac. I can't trust him... I feel like he's just waiting for the right moment to stab me in the back."

"I know sweetie... but you have to understand that this must be difficult for him. You know how hard his father is on him. Tyler just wants to prove himself. He's lashing out at you to create a reaction" Liz said soothingly, making some final touches on the decorations with the coordinator. Waving the hired party planner off, Liz focused her attention on her daughter. "The only way he can truly take your place is if he challenges you when you become alpha. And we both know that Tyler doesn't have it in him to beat you Caroline... you're strong and fast and incredibly skilled for someone so young. But beyond that, the pack both adores and respects you. If Tyler dares to challenge you, you won't be standing alone baby... we're all going to be standing by your side."

Caroline sighed. "I know mom. I just... I thought he was my friend, you know? Things have been going so great all these years. What if, when I finally take daddy's place, all hell breaks loose?" Caroline asked, sounding miserable. She took a seat next to her mother. "What if everyone just thinks I'm some silly little girl playing princess. I mean, it's one thing for daddy to reject those proposals on my behalf. It's going to be entirely different when I take his place... those alphas aren't going to respect me the way they respect daddy. They're going to march right into Mystic Falls. They're not going to take no for an answer... I'm going to have to either submit or force them to submit. It's not going to be easy..."

"It never is for us women" Liz agreed, giving her daughter a small, thoughtful smile. "When I saw your father, I instantly knew that he was my mate. That incredibly strong connection... like an electrical current running through my body. I swear the moment I lay eyes on your father, my heart got a jump start. And by the smile he gave me... I knew he felt the same way. It was nice... knowing that there was one person in the whole world mean't for me and I was actually lucky enough to find him. There was this feeling of contentment and satisfaction deep in my soul... just being with him, feeling him... it's a lot like love sweetie."

Taking a deep breath, she regarded her daughter seriously. "Legend says that an alpha female does not have a mate. In essence... you're free. You're complete. You don't need anyone. And as your mother, that makes me very happy Caroline. You get to choose who you want... you get to fall in love. You are the mistress of your own destiny. But that's also a very lonely road to go down... I would never wish you to be alone your whole life and I do wish you could experience that strong connection that mates have."

"I believe that one day, your mate is going to find you. You may or may not feel the same way about him, that he feels about you. You may even loathe his existence and consider him nothing but a nuisance" Liz continued, earning a giggle from Caroline. Liz smiled. "My point is, he's going to love you unconditionally, irrevocably, and he won't ever hurt you. He won't ever try to steal your pack, or force you to submit. And I want you to remember that baby... for as long as you live. If someone really loves you, they'll never ask you to give up who you are. They will accept you as their alpha and they will bow to you, and it will be up to you to decide if to give him a place by your side or not. You are not going to settle for anything else. Okay?"

Caroline nodded. "Okay."

"Good" Liz said, gently pulling Caroline's locks.

An all too familiar squeal came from downstairs, followed by the sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floor, causing both Forbes women to break apart laughing.

"Your friends are here" Liz commented, just as Bonnie and Elena made an entrance.

"Happy birthday!" a flurry of dark locks catapulted at Caroline, almost knocking her off her feet. Breaking away, "Mrs. Forbes the decorations look amazing" Elena gushed. "You've outdone yourself this time... the foyer, hallway and ballroom are practically overflowing with lilies and carnations, yet it's not overpowering. The place looks elegant and almost ethereal... especially with the white twinkle lights and candles. It's something out a fairytale. And is that a stage set up? I can't believe there's going to be a live band playing. And Matt's super happy that you offered him the job to bar tend tonight... he's been practising mixing cocktails all week. And... "

"Thank you Elena" Liz said gently, cutting Elena off. "I'll see you girls later tonight..." she said, giving Caroline an affectionate smile before leaving.

"Oh" Elena said, smiling sheepishly.

Caroline and Bonnie both giggled, and after a moment Elena joined in.

"Happy birthday Care" Bonnie said, giving Caroline a tight hug.

"Thanks Bon."

"Are you high?" Caroline asked, regarding Elena curiously.

"I was mixing herbs and Elena here decided to put her nose into where she shouldn't" Bonnie said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm just amazed by how much effort your mom put into this. I mean, I know it's a big deal, but wow... just wow Caroline. This isn't a birthday party. It's more like a débutante ball" Elena said, shrugging.

"I agree with Elena, Care. I think something's up... are you absolutely sure that..."

"I'm positive, Bon" Caroline said, cutting her off. With a sigh, "look maybe mom's just really happy I moved back home... I know she's making a much bigger deal of my birthday than she normally does, but no way would daddy ever do something like that without at least warning me first," she said, shaking her head.

"We all know that you're ready Caroline. Your dad doesn't need to prepare you for anything" Bonnie stated seriously. "You bled when you were only eleven years old. For an alpha female, you should have gotten your period much later, but instead you got it earlier. Because that's just who you are Caroline. You're an early bloomer. I know I might not know much about pack dynamics, but I see the way you are with everyone, and the way everyone is with you. Why prolong the inevitable? You were a born leader Care, and if your dad does decide to step down tonight... you have to prepare yourself for it. You have to step up to the plate and embrace who you are mean't to be."

"Way to not freak her out Bon" Elena chided, looking at Caroline worriedly.

Bonnie shrugged.

"No, it's fine" Caroline said, trying to shake off the huge weight that she suddenly felt on her shoulders. She knew Bonnie was right. She wasn't a little girl any more. She didn't need people to sit her down and explain things to her. Caroline was old enough to be tossed into situation, and what would either make or break her as leader, would be her ability to deal with whatever situation she found herself in. It was all about being in control. That's what her father always said. "I'm fine... really" she said, trying to convince herself. "Look, I'm just really excited to finally be twenty one. Legal drinking age... hellooo... something to be excited about" she said in a sing song voice, trying to lighten the mood.

Elena giggled.

"And whatever my dad decides to do... I know that it's for the best. I have nothing to be worried about."

"You're right... you don't" Bonnie said, nodding. "I just don't want you to be caught off guard."

"I know, and I'm really grateful" Caroline said sincerely. "Really I am... after the crappy conversation I had with Tyler this morning, it's nice to reminded that I do have friends who genuinely care about me" she added, a little sarcastically.

"Was Tyler being a major douche bag yet again?" Elena asked, her whole demeanour changing. She scoffed. "The nerve of that guy."

"I don't know why you're even friends with him" Bonnie said, shaking her head. "Or put up with him talking to you like that."

Before Caroline could even respond, "Okay" Elena said, clapping her hands together to draw their attention. "We really should start getting dressed. While you do, we want to hear all about what Tyler pretender alpha Lockwood had to say to you this time" she said menacingly, as though saying his name left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Elena!" Bonnie said surprised.

"Nope" Elena said, shaking her head. "No sympathy for the pathetic pup... the entire pack knows what he wants, and if he think I'm going to stand by while he behaves like a condescending little prick..."

"Elena!" Bonnie said again.

Caroline giggled. "You're spending way too much time with Damon."

Elena smirked. "He's worldly and knowledgeable... what good is he if he can't help expand my vocabulary a little" she said, waggling her eyebrows. She grabbed both Bonnie and Caroline's arms and led them upstairs.

* * *

October 10th 2013- 10:45am- New York

"Stefan" Kol read the name on the screen. With a curious brow quirked, "Stefan... Salvatore? Why is he calling you?" Kol asked seriously, easily escaping Rebekah's grasp when she tried to snatch her phone back.

"Give me back my phone you wanker" Rebekah said irritated, reaching for her phone once more.

Kol chuckled, flashing across the room, but before he could get very far, a lamp post was stuck in his centre, causing him to fall to his knees. "No need to get violent dearest sister" Kol grunted, as he pulled the object out of him and tossed it aside. "I'm just genuinely curious as to why the traitor is calling" he sneered.

"What is it now?" Elijah said, making his way in with Klaus in tow. With a sigh, "must you always behave like such children?" he said, his tone full of disappointment. After a moment he offered his hand for Kol to take. The phone that had stopped ringing, started to ring as Stefan called again.

"Give me the phone" Klaus commanded, and Kol immediately offered it up. When he saw the name on the screen, Klaus' expression hardened and he studied Rebekah intently.

"Nik" Rebekah protested, eyeing Kol scornfully. "I haven't spoken to him in years, honest" she pleaded, looking to Elijah for aid, but he held an heir of indifference. Running a hand through her hair in frustration, "I don't know why he's calling... perhaps if you'd just allow me to..."

"Ripper" Klaus greeted, answering the phone. He gave Rebekah a look that silenced her immediately. "Perhaps I hadn't made myself perfectly clear but I distinctly remember telling you that if I ever heard from you again, it would be to administer a rather slow and painful death. What could possibly be worth my ire for you to be brave enough to call upon my baby sister?"

"What makes you think this has anything to do with you?" Rebekah ground out angrily. "He could be calling just to talk to me" she said, her fists balled tightly at her sides.

"Rebekah" Elijah chided.

"Still so naive" Klaus said, his tone pitying, almost mocking her. "Don't be pathetic. Or are you such a silly little girl that you thought he called to catch up?" Klaus scoffed. He pulled the phone away from his ear, and pressed the speaker phone button.

"Come now Ripper. What is it that you wanted?" Klaus asked, sounding indifferent.

There was a beat of silence, followed by a shaky intake of breath before Stefan spoke. "I know where she is" Stefan said, softly, but his voice was firm. "The girl you've been looking for... I... I know where she is."

Klaus frowned. He exchanged a look with Elijah.

"Did you hear me?" Stefan asked, after he received no response. "I said that I found her..."

"I heard what you said" Klaus breathed, swallowing back his emotion. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. "Where?" he asked. "Tell me where she is" Klaus commanded.

"I want to make a deal" Stefan stated.

"Nik" Rebekah pleaded.

"You want to make a deal?" Klaus asked calmly, but Rebekah took a step back when he looked at her, his eyes flashing yellow with specks on gold tingeing his irises. "If you hurt a single hair on her head..." Klaus began softly, but the others in the room could almost feel his rage building.

"No... no" Stefan said quickly, as the realisation that his words might have been misinterpreted, dawned on him. "I'm not going to hurt her... Caroline's beautiful, and smart and... a really good friend. I would never hurt her... that's not what I mean't" Stefan clarified, taking a deep breath.

"Then what did you mean Ripper... what deal would you like to make?" Klaus asked menacingly, his voice getting increasingly higher. "If you think you're in any position to bargain for..."

Elijah, catching Klaus entirely unawares, snatched the phone from his hand and hit a button taking off the speaker phone. He ignored Klaus' murderous expression, and pressed the phone to his ear gingerly. "Mr. Salvatore, we would be inclined to consider any terms of a deal you wish to propose, after you tell us the location to her... it is unfortunate that apparently you have forgotten that we have several witches at our aid. A simple locator spell to find you before you run too far, and surely it will not be long before we find her as well. Your willingness or unwillingness to cooperate will determine you and your brother's fate... I expect you to come to a decision within the next five minutes. Goodbye now" Elijah said.

Before ending the call, Elijah found himself slammed against the wall. Klaus' hand wrapped firmly around his neck. "What the bloody hell was that?" Klaus practically snarled, pulling Elijah away from the wall before slamming him back against it. He growled, before releasing Elijah. Only to start tearing the room apart. Kol and Rebekah stood silently, watching him warily.

Elijah smoothed out his jacket, before tutting. "You have been such a master of control for centuries brother, but when it comes to this girl..." Elijah muttered.

In an instant, Klaus was standing before him again. "Do you think this is a game?" Klaus asked heatedly, his fury barely contained. "I have been scouring the earth for her for a decade, and that traitor stumbles upon her" Klaus said, frustrated. "He has befriended her! Maybe the elder Salvatore has as well. They've embedded themselves in her life... while I... I am nothing but a stranger to her."

Elijah frowned, opening his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the shrill ringing on the phone in his hand. He looked down to see Stefan's name on the screen. Elijah offered the phone to Klaus, but held on to his brother's hand, his other hand on Klaus' shoulder. "You have never been nothing" Elijah stated fiercely. "You will never be nothing... to her. After all... you are her mate" Elijah said, letting go. As he made his way out he motioned for the others to follow.

Klaus took a deep calming breath reminding himself of that fact. He was her mate. They were mean't to be together, and nothing would stop him from having her. She was his.

Caroline. That was her name.

"Ripper" Klaus answered the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite her confidence and sense of self assuredness, Caroline couldn't help but contemplate what Bonnie had said. Everyone in Mystic Falls knew that one day Caroline would take her father's place as leader of their pack, but only a handful of people were close enough to the Forbes family themselves to know just how tight knit the bond between Caroline and her parents were. It was something entirely too uncommon to go unnoticed.

Instead of being pressured all her life to become a strong and fierce leader one day, Caroline's father and mother never forced her into training or studying. They encouraged her, guided her, but gave her the space she needed to decide for herself the type of leader she would want to become. She lived a practically normal life. She went to high school and then to college. She was captain of the cheer squad, student body president, valedictorian, Miss Mystic Falls. If Caroline hadn't been an alpha werewolf, she would have excelled as a human.

She didn't feel as though she had to follow in her father's footsteps and if she failed to do so she would be a disappointment to her family name. She was not home schooled, like her mother had been. She was not trained in private, but joined the others on the field for training routines, which was an oddity in itself. Caroline never wanted any semblance of special attention or treatment. She was a member of her father's pack like all the others and she demanded to be treated the same way.

Since Caroline turned sixteen, she noticed the changes. She not only started excelling and rising through the ranks, but those who stood by her side encouraged her onwards. Bonfires, parties... they would gather in the forest or come together to wine and dine at the Forbes' vast estate for celebrations like the one that was being held tonight, and they would see each other as equals.

But if Caroline's father was truly giving up his place. If Caroline became alpha of the Mystic Falls pack... everything would change.

They would no longer be her friends. They would be her followers. And every single decision she would want to make would fall under scrutiny. She remembered the fallout when Elena and Bonnie had had their first sleepover when Caroline was fifteen. The Council had much to say about Liz' childhood friend's daughter and the Bennett witch's grand daughter being under the Forbes' roof so often. But over time, the arguments died down and many began to understand that the three girls were simply best friends. There was similar fallout when the Salvatores came to town. Tyler's uncle, Mason Lockwood, had openly challenged Bill. To which Bill had spared Mason's life... exiling him for an indefinite period.

Caroline wasn't afraid, but she had good reason to worry. She was young, without a mate, and much too opinionated to remain unchallenged for very long. It unnerved her. She didn't revel in the conflict, like Tyler did. She didn't appreciate the opportunities to display her skills like Elena did. And she most certainly did not hold herself in superior esteem like Bonnie did, even though an alpha female was even rarer than a Bennett witch.

"Caroline" Elena said, waving her hand infront of Caroline's face.

"Yeah" Caroline answered, shaking her head, trying to shake away her wayward thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, looking at Caroline worried.

"Yeah" Caroline nodded, forcing a smile. "What's up?"

Elena exchanged a look with Bonnie, both obviously not believing her, but Elena decided to ignore it. "I was saying, thanks for inviting Damon and Stefan. I know how much trouble it caused your dad with the Lockwoods, and even the Donovans and the human faction" Elena said sincerely. With a sigh, "even my own parents would never understand me being with Damon... I don't even want to think about what will happen when they find out..." she said, running a hand through her hair.

"It's going to be okay Elena" Caroline said, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "No one's going to find out. Not until you're ready for them to... if you'll ever be ready. I think my dad understands that when I become alpha, I'll be making certain decisions that he and I might not always see eye to eye on. So him letting me invite Stefan and Damon over was just him giving me his support and showing me that he has faith in my abilities when I become leader. Well at least that's what mom said" Caroline chuckled amusedly.

"What did I say now?" Liz asked, her brow quirked, as she made an entrance. Upon seeing Caroline, her features softened dramatically. "Oh my sweet baby girl" Liz cooed, reaching out to embrace Caroline.

Caroline quickly side stepped, blocking herself behind Elena. "Mom! Seriously? You're going to ruin my dress" Caroline protested, as Bonnie and Elena giggled. It was true. Her Zuhair Murad dress was delicate perfection. It was a perfect fit. It was grey, long sleeved, empire cut caftan in Chantilly lace and bronze silk tulle with sequin and crystal embroidery. It was a mix of regal elegance and sophistication with just a hint of allure and charm. Caroline felt like a vixen. Caroline felt like a princess.

Liz frowned. "It's not every day my only daughter turns twenty one" Liz huffed in annoyance. "Actually, your father sent me to give you this" she said, as though she suddenly remembered the package in her hands.

Caroline peeked from behind Elena, noticing the square box. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

Liz smiled at her fondly. "Well your father thinks that your gown was a gift from me, since he had no part to play other than paying for them" Liz chuckled amusedly. "So he decided to one up me and get your something spectacular. I wanted to keep it but he said I couldn't because it's especially made for you" Liz rolled her eyes. She offered the box to Caroline who immediately accepted it.

"Oh my God" Caroline said, but there was a collective awed reaction from Bonnie and Elena as well, when Caroline opened the box. Inside was the most intricate necklace Caroline had ever laid eyes on. It had to be white gold, with glittering stones that must be diamonds. But it was the blue diamond set in the middle that Caroline simply couldn't stop staring at. It was quarter the size of the heart of the ocean, but just as, if not more beautiful. This necklace must have cost a small fortune. Not only the cost of all the dresses Caroline bought, but perhaps entire collections for a few years.

"Mommy" Caroline said, her eyes shown questioning as she looked up to her mother in wonderment.

Liz smiled affectionately, gently cupping Caroline's face, before taking the necklace out of the box and motioning for Caroline to turn around. As Liz fastening the necklace around Caroline's neck, Caroline looked at her friends. They were both looking at her with unreadable expressions, but Caroline had a feeling that her expression mirrored theirs.

"You are an alpha female Caroline" Liz started. "The rules don't apply to you."

Caroline frowned.

With her hands on her daughter's shoulders, Liz spun Caroline back around. She carefully fixed each stone in place to lay flat on Caroline's skin. It felt like minutes went by before Liz looked at Caroline in the eyes. "I want you to remember that my love" Liz stated seriously. "You are a queen" Liz said, giving her daughter a small smile.

"Mom" Caroline breathed, as anxiety slowly started to creep up on her.

"Come on, Bonnie, Elena. Let's go down" Liz called, taking their hands, but her eyes never leaving Caroline's. "Your father will collect you in a moment" she said, before leaving, Bonnie and Elena following her out.

* * *

"It's not that simple Bekah. You can't just show up" Stefan explained, sounding quite exasperated.

"It's Rebekah to you" Rebekah said haughtily, "traitors don't get to call me by my family pet name."

"Dear dear Bekah, don't be so hard on him" Kol drawled. "Stefan and his brother have been so kind enough to invite us into their homes, the least we can do is be civil" he said, but his eyes twinkled mischievously as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Kol made his way to the Salvatores liquor supply and helped himself.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I invited no one" he said, making his way to Kol. He snatched the bottle of whiskey from Kol and took a swig. "You're here because there's no where else for you to stay without making a scene" he explained. "The council know who's who. Me and Stef constitute the acceptable vampire population of Mystic Falls and trust me when I say, the council aren't going to be pleased more vampires are here... especially Original vampires. The pack leader, Bill Forbes, knows exactly who Klaus Mikaelson is... The Hybrid. He has every single measure you can possibly think of put in place so that no harm comes to his daughter... you think you can just crash her birthday party? You're going to be bitten... Bekah" Damon smirked.

"Damon" Stefan chided, giving his brother a pointed look.

"What?" Damon asked, shrugging. He scoffed. "You're the one who called them. We've been here for over six months Stef, yet you wait till now to call Klaus. I'd like to know why."

"Six months?" Kol asked, exchanging a look with Rebekah. "How long have you known that Caroline is Nik's mate?"

Stefan sighed, shaking his head at Damon.

"That, I too, would like to know" Klaus said, making his way in with Elijah in tow. He studied Stefan intently before turning to Rebekah. "Sweet sister" Klaus greeted, giving Rebekah an affectionate smile. "Elijah and I have procured a rather vast estate, in the vicinity. It is quite satisfactory, but surely you'll be interested in making a few amendments."

Rebekah giggled. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course sweetheart" Klaus said, cupping her face gently with his hand. "It is to be our home and who better to bring it up to par."

With that, Rebekah's expression fell. From excited to outraged in seconds. "You cannot be serious!" she practically screeched. "I am not staying here. We're here to collect your little wolf and then you promised we'd be in Prague for Christmas" she said, sounding very much like a petulant child.

Klaus' face hardened at her audacity. "Plans change Rebekah. You honestly do not expect me to simply steal Caroline away?"

"Who cares?" Rebekah shouted, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. Turning to Elijah. "Lijah please" she pleaded. "I hate it here... we all hate it here. We can't possibly stay here!"

"You're being spoiled and selfish" Klaus hissed.

"I'm being selfish?" Rebekah asked incredulously. Her bottom lip started to quiver slightly, but she held it between her teeth and turned away, as if not wanting to see him.

"Niklaus" Elijah said firmly, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder that was immediately shrugged off.

After a moment, "come Rebekah. Kol..." he motioned for them to leave, and he followed behind.

When they left, Klaus sighed heavily, taking a seat by the fireplace.

"You shouldn't treat her like that" Stefan spoke up, to which Damon gave him an incredulous look.

"Really brother?" Damon asked, shaking his head. "Don't be a hypocrite okay? It's not a good look for you."

"I'm just saying..."

"That's just the thing Stefan... you shouldn't be saying anything" he said angrily. Damon glanced at Klaus who was waiting expectantly. "When did you know... no actually, how do you know that Caroline is Klaus' mate? And why the hell would you call him? I thought Caroline was your friend?"

Klaus growled lowly. "Easy."

"You don't deserve her" Damon stated matter of factly. "She's not like you... she's not like us. She believes in peace and equality. She comes from a loving family and a loyal pack. Her best friends Elena..."

"Ahh yes, Elena Gilbert, the wolf you're fond of" Klaus said. He revelled when Damon tensed infinitesimally. "And Bonnie... the Bennett witch. Rare creatures, Bennett witches. Kol is so excited to finally meet her. I've been aware of the motley crew and the happenings in Mystic Falls for quite some time, but my distaste for this place, far outweighed my curiosity over the first alpha female" he explained, looking at Stefan curiously.

"How did you know she was my mate?" Klaus asked seriously.

Stefan sighed. "It's really not that hard to figure out" he stated matter of factly.

"Is that so?" Klaus said, getting up and pacing the small area in front of the fireplace.

Stefan exchanged a look with Damon before continuing. "I... I knew you were looking for her. So I thought... why not start here? The first vampires came from Mystic Falls... all the stories, legends... they all stem from here. I thought I'd get any bit of information about her."

"Wait, why didn't you tell me?" Damon asked irritatedly. "You said that you were feeling nostalgic and you wanted to come home."

Stefan sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I lied all right. After what I did, I needed to find a way... Klaus' mate in exchange for my freedom."

"You were free Ripper... I sent you away" Klaus commented idly.

Stefan scoffed. "We both know that's not true. That day I stopped being your friend, and I became a pawn for you to use whenever you saw fit. Look, if I'm being entirely honest... it was wrong of me to do what I did. I know that. And I know that we can never go back to that place, but I... I want your forgiveness."

"Her forgiveness" Stefan clarified.

At that Klaus quirked a brow. "You will not use my sisters affections for you ever again Ripper. I will not allow it."

"I don't want to use her Klaus. I want..."

"What you want does not matter" Klaus stated, his voice soft but firm, cutting Stefan off. "Despite betraying her, Rebekah gave you this information... how else would you have known? What was strictly family business. Perhaps my sister is far too trusting of your character. Perhaps she is much too naive in thinking you would not have hurt my mate out of spite."

"I would have never hurt your mate Klaus. Finding her was the only way... Rebekah gave me the opportunity to redeem myself in your eyes, and I took it. There's no hope for her and I if..."

"There's no hope for you now Ripper" Klaus snarled. "Be assured that Rebekah's transgressions will not go unpunished."

"Klaus..."

Klaus scoffed, shaking his head. "Show me what you saw."

"What?" Damon asked, obviously confused.

"I want your brother to show me what he saw that made him believe Caroline is my mate" Klaus stated. "I fear if when I see her, she is not my mate... Rebekah would be so put out with me if I were to kill you both out of sheer disappointment" Klaus said offhandedly, but a malicious smile slowly spread across his face.

* * *

"Breathe in... breathe out..." Caroline chanted in her mind, taking deep steadying breaths as she carefully took each step.

Her father's hand gave hers a gentle squeeze as the music stopped suddenly and Caroline felt all eyes on her. She couldn't see them really, there was a white noise ringing inside of her head and her vision was blurred. She felt cold, which was odd for a werewolf. She felt sick... she felt like she could turn around, run upstairs and hide out in her room until the party was over.

No.

"Breathe in... breathe out..." Caroline repeated in her mind. She must have been crushing his hand, when her father lifting his other hand to cover both of their, rubbing hers soothingly. She tried to relax.

"Breathe in... breathe out..."

_"Daddy?" Caroline said, when she heard a knock on the door, but it sounded more like a question, her voice wavering slightly. She had been preparing for this day her whole life, but now when today was the day, Caroline couldn't get a handle on herself. Since her mother left the room with Elena and Bonnie, Caroline's mind was reeling on the insinuation that her mother had made._

_Bill opened the door and paused before entering and making his way to her. He looked at his daughter fondly, taking both of her hands in his. "You are so beautiful" he said simply, giving her an affectionate smile._

_Caroline forced a smile, but she felt tears in her eyes and looked away in embarrassment as a single tear fell. She hastily wiped it away, not wanting to be weak, not wanting her make up to get ruined. Elena would be so upset with her._

_Bill chuckled, but it sounded odd. When Caroline looked up, she was shocked to see her father's eyes filled with unshed tears. Bill Forbes was not an affectionate man. "Come here" he said softly, and Caroline immediately went into his arms, burying her face in her chest. She felt him press his cheek against her hair, taking a long deep breath._

_"You are everything that I could have ever hoped for, and so much more" Bill started, tightening his hold on her. "Your mother knows how grateful I truly am to have both of you in my life, but I need you to understand how proud I am of you" he said, gently pulling away. He cupped her face, forcing her to look up at him. With a heavy sigh, "you are wonderful just the way you are Caroline" Bill stated. "Everything you think, in that head of yours" he chuckled, shaking his head. "Everything you feel, in that big heart of yours" he smiled. "Everything you want... never change who you are and never give up."_

_"If you believe in something strongly enough... never give up. Your mother and I will always stand by your side" Bill stated fiercely, before his hands dropped to his sides._

_Caroline nodded, so overcome with emotion. But she forced herself to stop her tears from falling. Her heart was racing... "daddy. Are you..."_

_"Are you ready Caroline?" Bill asked, cutting her off._

_Caroline sniffed, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. Then she took a deep steadying breath. She nodded. "Yes father."_

They were only half way down the stair case when Bill tugged his hand away from hers, resting her hand on the bannister as he made his way down a few steps. He offered her a smile, before addressing the audience that had gathered, silently watching them.

"Today my little girl turns twenty one" Bill said, accepting a glass of wine in one hand and putting his other arm around Liz who came to stand by his side. "It amazes me how easily the years have gone by, when my beautiful wife has ensured that we've had many memorable moments throughout the years. She has never allowed an opportunity to pass us by and for that I am truly grateful. Liz, my wife, my mate, has given me a wonderful daughter, who also happens to be the first alpha female in over three thousand years."

The audience chuckled. Caroline gave a watery smile.

"But I don't see my daughter as a rare creature because she's an alpha female. No, I see her as a rare creature for the very essence of who she is. We all know that Caroline has never had to kill. She does not revel in the hunt as we do. She's friends with vampires, who will be present tonight. One of her best friends is a Bennett witch. Caroline is kind, honest, intelligent. She's the first in the Forbes' line to go to college, and she has every intention of working instead of living off the family inheritance. She is strong, fast, skilled. Highly opinionated with a bit of a temper, as some of you already know."

Some members of the audience laughed again.

"But beyond that, Caroline, my daughter... she is a good person. And that's all a father could ever want... for his child to do some good in the world. All a father could ever want... for his child to try to make the world a better place."

Bill smiled, turning to Caroline. "Caroline doesn't just try... she strives. She excels at everything she sets her mind to. It was as though she was born to be a queen."

Murmurs broke out, hushed whispers and collective sighs.

"My sweet, sweet, darling girl... would you release your father from this heavy burden?" Bill asked, ignoring the gasps that filled the air as people started to realise the significance of this event. "Will you take my place?"

Liz placed her hand by her mouth to stifle her sobs.

Caroline sniffled, shaking her head. "I can never take your place father" Caroline said, a few wayward tears falling down her face. Disappointment and sadness started to seep into his features, so Caroline quickly continued. "But I can try" she said, laughing through her tears.

As realisation dawned on him, Bill's features instantly brightened. The audience became loud, congratulations ringing through. The entire pack in celebration. Caroline embraced her parents, before Bonnie and Elena were at her side, accompanying her as she was passed around. She paid little mind when Tyler stormed out, Mrs. Lockwood looking thoroughly embarrassed by his behaviour. She barely noticed when Miss Sheila, Bonnie's grand mother, put a thin silver chain over her head.

Caroline was in a daze. It took a few minutes for her to snap out of it and when she did, she was standing before Stefan and Damon. The pack members were so happy about the turn of events, either no one noticed or no one cared that vampires were in their presence. Or was it the pack's first sign of fealty to her? Caroline wanted her vampire friends here, so the pack accepted their alpha's will. If that was the case, she had to be careful to not let that amount of power get to her head.

"I'm glad you came" Caroline said, giving Stefan a hug. But he didn't reciprocate it easily, which was strange. Pulling away, Caroline frowned. But before she could ask, she saw him standing but a few feet away.

In an instant, she was roughly pulled back. Her father and mother, Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Lockwood stood protectively in front of her. At her sides, Bonnie, Miss Sheila, Elena, Mrs. Gilbert. The entire pack fell silent, tensed, ready to attack.

"What do you want Hybrid?" Bill asked, his voice strong. "You are not welcome here."

"You are no longer alpha" the Hybrid spoke. His accent was lilted slightly, British.

"I am her father. I will always be her father" Bill snarled lowly. "You will not touch her."

The Hybrid smirked. The way he gazed at her, with utter adoration and... reverence almost. Caroline felt... no.

"No" Caroline breathed, shaking her head.

The Hybrid's eyes brightened upon her recognition of him. "Yes, sweetheart" he said, and the words were like pure honey dripping from his tongue. "Tell them" the Hybrid commanded.

Caroline bit her tongue. She did not want to give him the satisfaction of obeying, but such things as one's destiny could not be avoided, her mother always said.

"Daddy" Caroline choked out, and she sounded so broken that Bill turned around to face her. Shaking her head, "he's" she cried. "He's my..."

"Mate" the Hybrid spoke, revelling in the glory of finally finding her.

Liz gasped.

Bill's shoulders slumped in defeat.

The Hybrid smiled.

"Caroline is mine" he said.

* * *

**Caroline Forbes- Zuhair Murad- Spring/summer- Haute Couture- 2015- Look 35**


	4. Chapter 4

She had heard stories about him. The Original Hybrid. As a child, sitting by the camp fire, the elders told stories of a most terrible monster and his family. The Originals. As she got older she realised that there was truth behind those legends.

Over the span of a thousand years, they had massacred, plundered, and established themselves as the single most powerful family to have ever existed. But there was something about him that Caroline had always marvelled at, regaling in the tales of he himself despite how gruesome they were at times. There was no doubt in her mind, his great capacity to commit the most cruel and evil crimes. But what drew her to him or at least, to stories of him, was the man behind the monster. More often than not, Caroline tried to justify his actions as him trying to protect his siblings.

Their own parents had hunted them for centuries and when he had finally broken the sun and moon curse with the Petrova doppelgänger's blood in the 15th century, the prey became the hunter. The Hybrid's first act was to find his mother and his adoptive father, Mikael the destroyer, and kill them. Caroline saw his incredible bravery, his immense loyalty, despite his siblings only being his half siblings. He did horrible things, but after a thousand years, Caroline was sure that she would do a few horrible things as well, to protect those she loved and cared about. Only, her lifetime would never last that long.

She had been intrigued. Her genuine curiosity to know more about him, bubbling over. But now, standing just a few feet away from him really put things into perspective.

The Hybrid stood amongst them, as a God amongst men. Caroline could feel the power radiating off of him in waves. He held an air of superiority about him, a cool and calm demeanour that held a quiet authority, so though being only half werewolf, his status as a true alpha born was unchallenged. She saw it in the way her father and Mr. Lockwood bowed their heads infinitesimally, an involuntary action. There was not a single doubt in her mind that he could easily kill every single person in the room, including her, in the blink of an eye. Her father and the other pack member's show of protection was just that, a show. Despite all that had been put in place by her father to protect her, Bill Forbes could do nothing to stop the Hybrid from stealing her away. Yet the Hybrid stood waiting. In fact, they all were... awaiting her response.

_"Come, sweetheart" the Hybrid had said, addressing her directly. "There is much for us to discuss."_

He was waiting for her response, Caroline realised. His head was cocked slightly, his eyes shining with genuine curiosity as to what she would say.

Seconds ticked by, but they felt like hours. For the first time in her life, Caroline did not know what to do. She was his mate. She felt it in the depths of her very soul. But she would not submit to him. She couldn't.

She was not as strong as the Hybrid. Not as fast, nor as skilled. She was definitely not as powerful as he was invincible. But if she really was his mate, then the great powers to be must have considered her his equal.

If she were anyone else' mate, then perhaps she would have challenged him. Perhaps, the poor wolf would have already been struck down by her father's hand. But as it were, looking around at the mass of faces... her mother and father, her friends... her pack. They all looked at Caroline expectantly. She wasn't a little girl. Not any more.

Caroline didn't know what to do, but she had to. Her pack would fight for her. Kill for her. Die for her. She was now their alpha. Her word was now their law. Her decision would determine the fate of everyone in the room. Refusing the Hybrid... simply annoying him even, would have deadly consequences. It was her duty to do what was right.

She gave a single nod, and the Hybrid's face brightened, a smile forming on his face. He was extremely handsome, she realised. Full, raspberry lips, short stubble on his jaw, darkening his features. His eyes were a shade of deep sea blue that Caroline found quite mesmerizing. He wore a dark grey Henley, black jeans and black boots. She could make out the indents of a few charms from the necklaces that hung around his neck, that were hidden underneath his t-shirt. As she made a move towards him, Caroline's mother immediately held her tightly by the wrist. Liz was trembling, and Caroline could imagine the heartbreak written all over her mother's face, but she dared not look at her. Using her other hand, Caroline pried her mother's fingers one by one until she was finally free. She ignored her mother's soft whimpering sound as her father made way for her to pass. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her hair. Caroline didn't look at him either, simply continuing on her way, until she was standing right infront of the Hybrid.

Taking a deep breath, "today's my birthday. I need to be back home before midnight to cut my birthday cake" Caroline spoke softly, calmly, interrupting the heavy silence that had settled. She was proud that her voice was even and did not waver. She prided herself in being in control, and by the way the Hybrid was regarding her interestedly, she had the distinct notion that he was pleased as well, as though she passed some sort of test.

With a slight bow of his head, the Hybrid smirked, offering his hand. "Shall we then?" he asked.

Caroline hesitated for a moment, before slowly placing her hand in his.

In less than a second, the world around her was a blur.

* * *

The echo of frightened gasps was all Caroline heard until she was brought to an abrupt stop. He released her hand and Caroline immediately felt a loss, a dull ache from deep inside her chest. Placing one hand on the stone wall, she inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, taking deep steadying breaths. She tried to fight off the nausea and dizziness, working instead to steady her hammering heart. If she could hear her heart beating like a machine gun, then she was sure he could hear it as well.

She wasn't unaccustomed to vampire speed. Every once in a while, a vampire would pass through Mystic Falls. But since the Salvatores had settled, or rather, resettled a few months ago, the concept of vampires became more commonplace. Vampire speed, feeding from the vein, compulsion, vervain... Bill practically sat Caroline down and taught her about everything vampire and how to kill one.

Hybrid speed, however, was not so commonplace.

Hybrids were a rare species. They were an elitist group, sired by the very man standing infront of her, the Original Hybrid himself. Coming across a hybrid was an anomaly, and as such no one really knew anything about them. Caroline didn't have the slightest clue what hybrids were capable of. Sure, they were half vampire, half werewolf, but what exactly did that mean? Did they have the strengths of both, but none of the weaknesses? All the stories spoke of them as being a superior species.

Would the vervain in her system prevent him from successfully compelling her? Would her bite prove to be a deadly poison against him? Caroline knew nothing about him, but by the way he was regarding her, she had the distinct notion that he knew everything about her. And for some strange reason she felt an irrational surge of anger spreading through her.

"You're not afraid" the Hybrid spoke softly, his voice so full of fervour that Caroline's anger immediately dissipated. There was something about the way he was looking at her, all pretences fallen away, that made her realise that he felt as lost as she did.

"Should I be?" she asked, just as softly. How strange it must be for an over one thousand year old creature to suddenly find out that she was his mate. Had he been waiting for her his whole life? Caroline couldn't even fathom being alone for so long... wandering the earth, just waiting for her other half to complete her.

"No" he said, shaking his head. His voice was barely above a whisper. His tongue darted out to wet his lips and Caroline's eyes were drawn to the action. "No" he said again, as if hoping to convince himself. "You are my mate Caroline. You must never fear me... I... I would never hurt you" he said sincerely.

"I don't even know you" Caroline said, sounding a bit breathless. Her frustration was evident in her voice. "How do you..." she trailed off. Legend said that alpha females weren't bound by the law of mates. She was supposed to be able to choose who she wanted to spend her life with. The Hybrid showing up and claiming her to be his mate was just... "how do you know I'm your mate? You just show up and announce it to the room! Which is strange because we've never actually met before!" she ground out angrily. Shaking her head, she tried to get a handle on her emotions, but this whole situation was extremely overwhelming.

The Hybrid didn't see her and then the stars aligned. No, he looked at her like he already knew. Seeing her for the first time was merely a confirmation of what he had already known. As realisation began to dawn on her... "is that why Stefan and Damon came back to Mystic Falls?" she asked, feeling utterly betrayed by the brothers whom she had come to consider friends. "You were looking for me..." she said, swallowing down her emotion.

She frowned, "but how..."

"Come" the Hybrid said, cutting her off. He offered her a small smile, but the light in his eyes had dimmed.

Had she hurt his feelings? Caroline felt a pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach, followed by the urge to scream. She shouldn't be feeling like this! So lost and confused. She shouldn't care about this man she didn't even know.

When she made no acknowledgement, he turned on his heel and continued further into the caves.

After a moment, she huffed in irritation before following his scent through the tunnels. When she finally caught up to him, he was standing still, quietly studying markings on the wall that Caroline had never seen before. She frowned, moving to stand by his side.

She had been to the cellars that were a few miles down, and she was familiar with the network of caves that ran underground, but she had never actually been here before. Caroline was sure that she would have noticed the hieroglyphs that covered the wall from floor to ceiling. They clearly told a story, rather primitive drawings accompanying the intricate markings, but Caroline didn't have the slightest clue what to make of them. Leaning in to take a closer look, the one symbol she recognised... her family crest. Unconsciously, Caroline ran her index finger over the engraving. Looking up, she suddenly saw her crest every where. She gasped, pulling her hand away.

"When I was a boy, the elders from the village told stories of a most terrible monster" the Hybrid spoke, his voice calm and soothing, echoing in the silence. Raising his hand, he motioned with his index finger, "half son of the moon, half demon would walk the earth. Immortal. Invincible. Unstoppable" he said. He chuckled, shaking his head. "It was only a few years later when my father put a sword through me and my mother cursed me that I realised that I was the monster the prophets spoke of."

Turning to look at her, his expression fell. He sighed heavily. "As soon as I was able, I learned as much as I could about who I was... what I was. Knowledge was power, and I revelled in it. I revelled in being control of my nature. The concept of mates intrigued me... I had always felt incomplete, but that was because of the curse my mother placed on me. When the curse was lifted, and I reached the height of my full potential, there was nothing lacking. I didn't want, nor need, a mate" the Hybrid stated seriously.

His expression hardened. Caroline lifted her head in defiance.

At that, he smirked, but he quickly sobered, looking at the wall once more. "Until that night, ten years ago, when you first turned..." he breathed.

She gasped, putting a hand around her neck, trying to keep her breathing even.

He paid no mind to her sudden inner turmoil, and continued, "legend speaks of a creature of light who would be sent to tame the dark lord." His voice was steady, devoid of all emotion. He traced the patterns on the wall, as if reading them. "A true beauty. Born a queen. Of golden hair and ocean eyes" he interpreted.

Caroline staggered back, putting a hand on the wall to keep her upright.

"He shall be bound to her, but she shall not be bound to him. He shall..."

"Stop it!" Caroline shouted, silent tears streaming down her face. She hastily brushed them away with the back of her hand. She understood quite clearly what the drawings mean't now.

Looking at her with sadness in his eyes. "And upon the victory of the people, they shall sing a song of happiness" he said, giving her a small knowing smile.

Shaking her head. "No" she stated firmly. "I don't believe in some messed up prophesy written by a bunch of dead guys over a thousand years ago... I'm not..." she said, motioning to the wall wildly with her hands. "Just because I fit the description of golden hair and ocean eyes does not mean I'm your mate... it sure as hell doesn't mean... this..." she said angrily.

Throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. "How fucked up is that anyway? After a thousand years, you find out that you have a mate and oh by the way your mate was sent to kill you?" Caroline scoffed. "That's bullshit!" she shouted. "This whole thing is stupid."

"It's not stupid Caroline... it's our destiny" the Hybrid said, his tone serious. "This is nature's way of punishing me for all the things I've done!" he practically growled. His eyes flashed dangerously and Caroline knew he was becoming angered but she just couldn't quite reign in her emotions.

"Well I don't believe in destiny or fate or any of that okay?" she retorted angrily. Taking a deep breath, she spoke more calmly. "Look, I've never been in love. But I see it in the way my father looks at my mother... I see it in the way my mother looks at my father. They're mates. Since they first laid eyes on each other, they've never spent more than a few hours apart, and I..." Caroline started to sob. "You said that you'd never hurt me. Well if I'm your mate, then I'm never going to hurt you... I... I'm not on nature's side!" she nearly screamed. "If the powers to be want to punish you then that's fine, but they're not going to use me to do it. I will not be used! I will not... kill my own mate."

Caroline cried, wrapping her arms around herself as sobs racked her body. How could this terrible fate have befallen her? Was it just yesterday that her mother spoke to her about true love? Killing one's own mate was a unheard of. But so was she. But so was he. Everything about their situation was unique and unconventional. But this? Not this. No, no no.

"No" she choked out, shaking her head. Looking up at him, she saw her own pain reflected in his eyes. His hands were balled into fists and Caroline just knew it took a great deal of strength for him to give her space.

"Is this it then?" she asked, her voice sounding broken. Swallowing down her emotion, she stood tall, wiping her tears away. "Are you here to kill me?" she asked softly.

The Hybrid startled, looking at her outraged. "Why..." he breathed.

Cutting him off, "you don't know me. And I don't know you... we're strangers" Caroline explained. "If you really believe that this" she said, giving the wall a fleeting glance, "is our fate. If you really think there's no hope for us... then kill me" she said, and it sounded so much like a plea that Caroline was caught off guard.

The Hybrid's emotions were clear, as they shown on his face. From incredulity, to fear, to pain. As understanding began to dawn on him, his expression softened, his eyes shown with understanding. "I'm so sorry sweetheart" he said softly, and Caroline heard the deep regret in his voice.

Nodding, she sniffed. "Don't you dare ever do it again" she commanded.

* * *

Caroline wanted nothing more than to go home and pretend it didn't happen and just continue celebrating her birthday like she had planned. But much to her dismay, when the Hybrid had brought her home, her parents had sent everyone away. So everyone was gone, except Elena and Bonnie who had been adamant to stay.

After their conversation in the caves, Caroline had turned her back to him and made her way out. As she trekked the rather long distance back to the Forbes estate, he was her silent companion. At her door, he gave a single nod to her father before disappearing into the night. Caroline knew that her father was eager to get an update, but thankfully her mother had stepped in and simply cradled Caroline in her arms. In the safety of her mother's arms, a dam broke, all the emotion pouring out of Caroline. Her mother, followed by Bonnie and Elena, led her to her room, where Caroline cried her eyes out until there were no more tears left, explained what happened, and expressed her utter heartbreak.

"The nerve of that guy" Elena muttered irritatedly, as she crossed her legs on Caroline's bed.

"That was a pretty dick, oh sorry Mrs. Forbes" Bonnie quickly amended.

Caroline mom's simply smiled affectionately, continuing to comb Caroline's locks. But Caroline could see the uneasiness in her mother's eyes, weighing heavily on her.

"Move for him to scare you like that" Bonnie continued. "Who the hell does he think he is to dictate your future to you?" she scoffed.

"I mean, what was even the point of telling you that you're his mate if his mate is destined to kill him?" Elena asked, sounding perplexed. "If you're going to kill him then why would he come for you? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to stay very far way?"

"The connection between mates is quite a powerful one" Liz said, putting the comb down. Taking a section of Caroline's hair, she began to weave an intricate braid. "Time spent with her, however a short period, would be much better than a lifetime without her" Liz explained patiently.

"I don't even know his name" Caroline mumbled.

The three women looked at her curiously, in the mirror. Her mother's hands stilled in her hair.

Caroline sighed heavily.

"I don't even know if I'll ever see him again" she said sadly.

After a moment, "do you want to see him again?" Bonnie asked carefully.

Caroline opened her mouth to respond, but the words got stuck in her throat. Swallowing down her emotion, she tried again. "I shouldn't be feeling like this" she said, shaking her head. "I was supposed to be free of feeling like this."

"Feeling like what?" Elena asked, a frown marring her features.

"Like something's missing..." Caroline whispered, as though she was telling a most terrible secret. "From the moment he left my side at the front door, I felt like he took a part of me with him" she said, her eyes filling to the brim with tears once again. She hastily brushed them away before they could fall.

Her mother's hands started working on her hair again. A few minutes passed in silence, before Liz reached for a hair tie and secured Caroline's hair in place. Liz bent down to place a kiss on the crown of her daughter's head.

With a exaggerated sigh, "well he is the most powerful creature in the world" Bonnie pointed out.

"What?" Caroline said, chuckling lightly at her friend's sudden change in demeanour.

"I'm just saying... he's the Hybrid" Bonnie said, using air quotes.

In the mirror, Elena nodded, seemingly deep in thought. "Bonnie's right" she agreed. "He must be sending some pretty strong hybrid mating vibes your way" she stated matter of factly.

There was a beat of dead silence. Then...

"Oh my God!" Caroline said in mock outrage.

Both Bonnie and Elena burst into a fit of giggles, barely able to contain themselves. Her mother's eyes still shown worried, but a broad smile was plastered on her face. Liz placed her chin on her daughter's head, and wrapped her arms around Caroline's shoulders, her watery eyes giving away her true emotions.

Caroline nodded, giggling as well.

* * *

"Niklaus" his brother's voice echoed through the empty halls.

Klaus sighed, taking a sip of his scotch and staring intently into the flames of the fireplace. He had no interest whatsoever in engaging in the conversation that was surely about to ensue.

"Niklaus" Elijah's angry voice spilled into the room, as he made his way inside.

Klaus sighed heavily. "Brother" he acknowledged, as Elijah unbuttoned the buttons of his suit jacket before taking a seat directly opposite him.

Taking a deep breath, "now is not the time for us to be segregated Niklaus" Elijah said calmly, his voice not giving away the emotions he felt.

Klaus smirked. "Rebekah should have thought about this before she betrayed me."

Elijah flashed out of his seat and began pacing the small space in front of the fireplace. "She did not betray you brother" Elijah spoke through clenched teeth. "She was seeking out your happiness" he said, trying to convey some form of understanding.

Klaus scoffed. "You truly are a fool if you believe she had anything but her own best interests at heart."

"Even so, how can you fault her?" Elijah asked incredulously. "You forbid her to see the only man that she has ever truly loved."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "A double betrayal in fact" he stated matter of factly.

Elijah paused, looking a bit lost. It had been quite a long while that Klaus ever caught his brother speechless, but when he did it truly was a feat. Klaus smirked.

"In these times we cannot think of ourselves Niklaus... we must think of each other" Elijah started, explaining softly, as one would explain to a child.

That angered him. Drowning the rest of the drink, Klaus slammed the glass on the side table. In a flash, he was in his brother's face. "That brother" Klaus snarled, "is exactly what Rebekah was not doing when she told the man who betrayed me... betrayed us... about the existence of my mate!"

"Stefan could have used Caroline as a bargaining chip... do you not understand the enormity of what Rebekah has done by sharing this bit of information with Stefan?" Klaus asked menacingly. "You of all people would understand how quickly rumours spread... word could have gotten out about her..."

"But it didn't" Elijah said, cutting him off. "I agree with you that Rebekah's method of the Salvatore gaining your forgiveness left much to be desired, but as it is... nothing but good has come out of it Niklaus. Don't you see?" Elijah pleaded. "Let bygones be bygones... if Stefan had not found your Caroline then we would have never found her... not here... not in Mystic Falls."

"Did you see it?" Klaus asked tiredly.

When Elijah nodded, Klaus sighed. "Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't found her" Klaus said so softly that if Elijah weren't an Original vampire, he would not have heard.

He frowned. "You cannot truly believe that" Elijah said, studying his brother warily. "She is your mate brother... you cannot for a single moment believe some ancient markings on a wall of a cave" Elijah stated seriously.

Klaus chuckled at his brother's words. "She said the same" he said, giving a small smile.

Elijah smiled, but then his smile fell when he realised what his brother had said. "You took her to the caves?" Elijah asked, sounding a bit disbelieving.

When Klaus didn't answer, but simply looked away, Elijah shook his head. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. "Oh, brother" he said, before taking a sip. "She is an alpha Niklaus. But beyond that, from what the Salvatores described, your Caroline does not take well to being told what to do" Elijah said, finishing his drink before pouring another for himself and Klaus.

"Buddying up with the Salvatores now, are you?" Klaus sneered.

Elijah gave him a pointed look but gave no other response. He offered Klaus the glass, before retaking his seat. "I take it, she was less than pleased by your history lesson" Elijah asked interested.

Klaus nodded, sitting down. "I've never seen such a tiny thing full of so much anger" Klaus said warily, but his eyes shown amused.

Elijah chuckled quietly, but after a moment it turned into a genuine laugh. Shaking his head. "You are fond of her" Elijah said, looking at Klaus affectionately, as an older brother would look upon his younger brother so full of pride.

Klaus deflated under that look. One he hadn't received since they were all merely human. "I am" he said sincerely. "She does not feel what I feel, but... she is kind and honest. Brave. I am intrigued." Klaus gave his brother a small smile.

Elijah lifted his glass to him, before drinking it down in one. "I am glad" he said, returning Klaus' smile.

A few moments passed in companionable silence before it was interrupted by the door banging open. In a flash, Klaus had Kol pinned to the wall, one hand wrapped firmly around Kol's neck. The other hand wrangled the dagger out of Kol's grip. Klaus saw as his baby brother sighed in defeat.

"Please tell me that this dagger is not the one mean't to be in Rebekah's heart" Klaus spoke calmly, but his grip around Kol's neck tightened infinitesimally.

Kol scoffed "Where is she?" he ground out.

"She's taking a bit of a time out, so to speak" Klaus answered nonchalantly.

"Bekah's found your mate for you and you're punishing her?" Kol asked, incredulous. He glanced over at Elijah.

"You know not what you speak of Kol" Elijah chided, shaking his head.

"Then tell me!" Kol shouted angrily, his show of such strong emotion causing Klaus to release him instantly.

"You keep hiding things from me" he said, looking between Klaus and Elijah. "You two keep secrets and Bekah and I are simply supposed to trust you, but you don't trust us... do you?" Kol asked. He scoffed. "You treat Bekah and I as though we are still children..." he said, shaking his head.

He looked at Klaus with sadness and a hint of accusation. "Do you have any idea how happy she was for you? She was mumbling nonsense about having a sister all morning... while you were chatting away at the Salvatores, Rebekah was trying to figure out how to decorate Caroline's room." When Klaus gave him a disbelieving look, "tell him Lijah" Kol commanded.

Elijah gave an exasperated sigh. At Klaus' questioning look Elijah nodded. "Her over excitement about having another female in the house was quite..."

"Irritating" Kol finished, cutting him off.

Running a hand through his hair, he tugged on the ends lightly. "Fine" Klaus spat out, "I'll undagger her." He ignored both Kol and Elijah's shocked expressions at him conceding so easily.

"But you'd do well to warm Rebekah that Caroline is not a new toy to play with" Klaus argued. "The situation is fragile as it is, and I will not have Rebekah scaring my mate off... is that understood?" Klaus asked seriously, narrowing his eyes at Kol.

"Of course brother" Kol said, putting his hands out in front of him, a show of surrender. Exchanging a look with Elijah, "I never really understood before, but now I can see what all the fuss was about," Kol commented, smiling, before flashing off.

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Klaus asked irritatedly.

Elijah chuckled lightly.


	5. Chapter 5

**"He was part of my dream, of course — but then I was part of his dream too."**

* * *

"As soon as you left, your dad practically threw Stefan out of the house" Bonnie whispered in the darkness. "You should have seen him Care... I've never seen your dad so angry. I was so sure he was going to rip Stefan apart" Bonnie said, curling up under the covers.

"Then after your dad kicked everyone else out, Elena called Damon" Bonnie said sadly, looking at Elena's sleeping form. With a heavy sigh, "Elena was heartbroken Care... I could tell that she was on the brink of tears, but she was so angry. She didn't even give Damon a chance to explain... she broke up with him and told him she never wanted to hear from him again."

"She didn't have to do that" Caroline said, just as softly. Elena was such a good hearted person, and the best friend a girl could ever ask for. Despite being beyond pissed off that Stefan would just sell her out like that, Caroline wasn't one to make hasty decisions. She had every intention of marching over at the Salvatore boarding house and finding out exactly what the hell Stefan was thinking when he called the Hybrid to town. "We don't know if Damon had anything to do with this, and even so... I would never want Elena to choose between him and me" Caroline said, running a hand through her hair in frustration. She sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard. "Besides, if I'm really the Hybrid's mate then he would have found me eventually. With or without Stefan's help" she muttered.

Her head felt like it wanted to explode. There was so much had to figure out. Addressing the pack, reintroducing herself as their alpha... there's so much she had planned on doing with her new found power, so much she wanted to put in place, to make the lives of her pack members so much more substantial. But instead of being able to devote all her time and attention to them, she had the Hybrid to worry about. There was something about him... she just couldn't get him out of her head and that above all was the most frustrating. She sighed heavily, shaking her head as if trying to shake off her wayward thoughts.

After a moment, Bonnie followed suite by sitting up, trying not to shake the bed too much. Elena made a low growling sound before snuggling further into the sheets and falling deeply into her slumber. Both girls gave their friend a fond smile.

Bonnie leaned her head against the headboard, but angled herself to face Caroline. "I knew you would feel guilty that Elena broke it off with him, so I..." Bonnie hesitated, looking at Caroline warily. She gave Elena a fleeting glance before she directed her attention to Caroline again. "I called Damon" Bonnie stated. "I needed to find out what really went one" Bonnie quickly continued as if needing to justify her actions.

Caroline smiled, taking one of Bonnie's hands in hers as a sign of reassurance. "What did he say?" she asked interestedly.

"I don't even understand..." Bonnie said, irritation colouring her tone. "Damon kept saying that it was all his fault. He said that it was because of him that Stefan lost the only woman he's ever loved."

Caroline frowned, her interest piqued. "What? I don't understand... what does that have to do with me?"

"Damon said that this was the only way Stefan could get her back" Bonnie stated.

"Get who back?" Caroline ground out, her frustration evident in her tone.

"The Original sister... Rebekah, I think is her name" Bonnie explained. "Damon said that Stefan and Rebekah were in love, but Damon was in trouble and Stefan chose to save him. Stefan betrayed the Originals, and Rebekah... when the Originals found out, they exiled him."

"But why would they exile Stefan for saving Damon?" Caroline asked, perplexed. "I mean, if Rebekah really loved him, then wouldn't she have helped Stefan get his brother back?"

Shaking her head, "I don't think Damon even knows what really happened. But from what I gather, Stefan and the Originals were really close. He must have done something terrible for them to exile him" Bonnie stated, warily.

"If what he did was so terrible, then why didn't they just kill him?" Caroline pondered. The Originals weren't forgiving... not according to the many stories Caroline had heard about them. The Originals were brutal, vengeful, merciless.

Bonnie nodded. "I guess they were hurt enough to not want him around any more, but still cared about him to not want to kill him" she said thoughtfully.

Caroline sighed, sinking down under the covers once more. Hurt? The thought that Stefan had managed to hurt their feelings was something Caroline would have to wrap her mind around. She definitely had to pay Stefan a visit. The mystery of the Original family needed to be solved... at least a little bit. Maybe then Caroline would have the slightest inclination of how to deal with the Hybrid himself. "That's really sad. I don't even know who to feel more sorry for... Stefan or the Originals" she mumbled.

"Me too" Bonnie said, curling up in bed again. "I just" she paused, and Caroline got the distinct feeling that Bonnie was phrasing her words very carefully in her mind.

"Just spit it out Bon" Caroline said impatiently, but giving her friend a small smile.

Bonnie returned the smile, before sobering. "I think Damon's feeling terrible as it is, about Stefan and Rebekah, and now Elena's punishing him too..." she said.

The words hung in the air for a moment, until Caroline nodded. "I'll talk to Lena in the morning" she said, not missing Bonnie's grateful smile, before she closed her eyes.

* * *

_She dreamed of an enchanted forest. Lush, green trees, fireflies and the moonlight illuminating the darkness. Wearing a long white peasant dress that billowed in the wind as Caroline ran, a loud exuberant laugh escaping her. She could feel the cold breeze chilling her skin, feel the damp earth under her bare feet. Taking a deep breath, she felt life itself flow through her. She smiled when a white owl made it's presence known with a loud hoot. Caroline giggled, shaking her head at the curious creature. _

_As she ran through the forest, she could almost feel it following behind her, flying from one tree branch to another. She paid her quiet companion no attention, until after a few moments she felt a loss. Caroline stopped in her tracks, turning around and looking up at the tallest branches of the trees. She frowned, worry filling her as she retraced her steps. Caroline gasped when she saw a soft white tuft floating in the air infront of her._

_No. No no no no. If only she hadn't run away. If only she had turned around sooner. If only she had given the creature just a sliver of attention then perhaps... no. It was gone. It was all her fault. Caroline felt a sense of loneliness creeping up on her, almost stifling her. She fell to knees, gasping for breath. She held her head in her hands as sobs wracked her lithe frame. It was gone. It was all her fault. She was all alone now. It was all her fault. She was all alone..._

_Caroline startled when she felt a pressure on her shoulder. Stumbling back, Caroline held onto herself tightly. Quickly brushing her tears away with the back of her hand, hoping to clear her vision, Caroline looked up at the stranger in her midst. Her heart skipped a beat and a smile immediately form on her face as she scrambled to her feet. She gave a breathless chuckle, reaching out to stroke the white feathers of the seemingly disoriented bird. She could see that one little leg was injured but it was nothing too serious. It would heal._

_"Thank you" Caroline said reverently, giving him an appreciative smile._

_"Caroline" the Hybrid breathed, his own shone brightly, so full of adoration. _

_"Caroline..." resounded in Caroline's head._

_"Caroline..."_

"Caroline."

"Caroline?" Liz gave Caroline a gentle shake. "Would you wake up honey? You're going to be late."

Caroline's eyes shot open. Frowning, she looked at her mother who began carefully picking through her closet. Liz picked out a tight black, midnight blue and sea green mosaic patterned midi skirt, before starting to paw through Caroline's range of silk shirts. "Late for what?" Caroline said roughly, her voice thick with sleep.

"Elijah called" Liz said, regarding her daughter warily. "Your father's adamantly against it, but I... I just couldn't say no. They're all so excited to finally meet you. And it's only for lunch. Sharing a meal doesn't actually require a lot of socialising" Liz said reasonably, cutting off her rambling to look at her daughter a bit... guiltily?

Caroline knew all to well what her mother's ramblings usually meant. "Who's Elijah?" Caroline asked seriously, now fully awake and alert.

Liz sighed. "He's an Original. The eldest brother" Liz answered, giving her daughter a meek smile.

The was a beat of silence before Caroline bolted off the bed, her blankets tossed to the other side of the bed. "Seriously?" Caroline shouted, completely outraged that her own mother would go behind her back. "I'm not just going for lunch with them mom. I don't even know the guy's name and you want me to meet his family? Ughh!" Caroline groaned, marching into the ensuite bath and shutting the door loudly. She didn't miss her father's figure that suddenly appeared at the threshold of her bedroom.

"I could really use your support right now Bill" Caroline heard her mom talking to her dad. Liz sounded absolutely annoyed. "She doesn't understand the importance of this... the Originals were so kind as to extend a welcoming hand. This isn't going to work if Caroline doesn't meet them half way" Liz said, sounding a bit frustrated.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I'm not too keen on sending my only daughter into a house full of vampires... Originals at that." Bill sighed heavily. "My darling, Caroline is old enough to decide for herself what she deems appropriate to do in these circumstances. It isn't going to work either if Caroline feels as though she's being forced" he said patiently.

"Oh please. Caroline is the Hybrid's mate... she need not fear anyone" Liz said, and Caroline could almost feel her mother rolling her eyes. It brought a smile to Caroline's face. "Besides, the moment you found out that I was your mate you practically threw me over your shoulder like some kind of caveman."

"Well I don't have the Hybrid's one thousand years worth of patience" Bill huffed, clearing not pleased by Liz's rebuttal.

"Exactly" Liz stated, matter of factly. "The Hybrid has patience. I fear he'll wait on her forever and one day she'll wake up and realise how much time she's wasted."

There was a moment of silence, before Liz spoke so softly that Caroline had to lean against the bathroom door to hear. If she wasn't an alpha, she was sure she wouldn't have. "Caroline misses him already" Liz whispered conspiratorially. "I know my daughter Bill... there's this look of longing in her eyes. She doesn't know him but she wants to. But Caroline's so stubborn... she'd rather ignore him like a plague that admit her curiosity. Busy herself with pack matters..."

Bill sighed heavily. "Fine" he muttered, sounding very much like a petulant child. Which he did when he relented and Liz got her way, which was often.

"Caroline honey" Bill said louder, "there may be another present for you in the garage. Conditional upon you going to this silly lunch your mother wants you to go to."

"Oww" he said. Liz must have punched him.

Caroline rolled her eyes. Opening the bathroom door, she looked at her parents intently. They really did love each other. After twenty five years, they were still so fond of each other that it was almost gross to be around them too long. She narrowed her eyes at her mother. "It's the blue silk blouse and black strappy stilettos that go with that skirt" Caroline said, exasperatedly, before shutting the door again. She heard her mother's squeal of delight and her father's chuckle before she turned on the shower.

* * *

"I cannot believe that you would dare to meddle in my affairs!" Klaus roared angrily, as Rebekah calmly continued to set the table. "It's as though you're asking for a dagger in your heart!"

"Enough with all the dagger threats already" Kol said, rolling his eyes. "I thought we've established that we're all in this together? And we wouldn't want to scare your pretty little pet off now would we? What would sweet Caroline say if she found out that you stick daggers in our hearts and carry us around in coffins whenever it strikes your fancy?"

Klaus growled, his eyes flashing yellow. "You would dare threaten me?" he snarled, annunciating every word. He was just about to pounce on Kol when Elijah put a firm hand on his shoulder. It would do nothing to hold Klaus back, as Klaus' strength was far superior to all of his siblings combined, but the distraction proved to be a moment of clarity.

"You wouldn't want to spoil all the hard work Rebekah put into preparing such a lovely meal would you?" Elijah asked, as if reading his mind.

Rebekah simply preened under the compliment.

"Are you sure this is even edible?" Kol asked seriously, not even noticing when Rebekah's expression fell. "Why couldn't we just hire a cook? We're not bloody peasants, we can afford fine dining" Kol said haughtily.

"Caroline's mother cooks for her family. She's grown up with home cooked meals everyday, but she's been away to college for so long..." Rebekah explained. "I just thought home cooking would make her feel more comfortable... make her feel like... I don't... part of a family or something" she said with a shrug, playing for nonchalance.

But Klaus could see how much thought Rebekah put into making Caroline's first meeting with the family special, and even if she did go behind his back, Klaus was still immensely grateful for his sister's support. Sometimes Rebekah's thoughtfulness disarmed him. Walking around the table to stand infront of her, Klaus cradled her face gently in his hands. "Thank you sweet sister" he said, giving her an affectionate smile.

Rebekah's expression immediately brightened, a smile forming on her face. She giggled.

Klaus placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Now that that's all settled" Elijah stated. "Perhaps you'd like to make yourself presentable" he said, eyeing Klaus' bloody clothes with distaste. "Miss Forbes should be here at any moment."

* * *

Mystic Falls was a very wealthy town. Not everyone came from old money like the Forbes, Lockwood, Bennett, Gilbert, and Salvatore families did... but everyone pretty much had an expertise, which meant next to no competition. Where there was competition, it was a healthy sort of rivalry. Mystic Falls was booming. Nearly every single resident had a place to call their home.

When a member of the pack suffered a loss, Caroline's father would help them get back on their feet. Mr. Lockwood did the same for the humans, whom his original pack members were responsible for keeping safe. That was one of the many changes that by being alpha, Caroline would make. She loved that her father's and forefather's methods had worked so successfully in the past, but she hated any sort of segregation. She always believed that if you gave people an opportunity to tell you want they wanted, they wouldn't find the need to just take it without asking.

Caroline knew it wasn't a perfect world. Time after time, more often than she'd like... some people just simply did bad things to people who didn't deserve it. She'd known her father to put to death old childhood friends. Caroline knew what worked, but she also knew the flaws in the system. She also realised that what worked in the past wouldn't hold up in the present. When the Salvatores came to stay, it created a small ripple. But with the Original family back in town... everything was going to change.

He had only been here for less than a day, to Caroline's knowledge. So she couldn't quite understand how he had acquired such a vast property in such a short period of time, a colossal mansion only half an hour away from Caroline's home, that she hadn't ever seen before. She had never been to this side of town, and the fact that she hadn't even explored her own little town fully, somehow made her feel utterly incompetent. How was she supposed to be the leader of her pack if she didn't even know how far her territory extended?

Shaking her head, she continued along the long drive, stopping infront of the stairway leading up to the front door. There was a wide veranda wrapping around the entire house, both upstairs and downstairs. Tall columns framing the arch entrance. Caroline found the grandeur of it intimidating. All black tiles, black marble and brown stone. A modern medieval twist. It was so aesthetic, but not a single homey touch. But she guessed that if they had just moved in, they hadn't gotten time to turn the house into a home just yet.

With a deep calming breath, she switched off the ignition and finally got out of the car.

Her heart was hammering in her chest. It wasn't as though Caroline was afraid. She knew she should be. She knew that she was about to enter into the home of the most powerful family in the supernatural universe, but instead, her almost crippling anxiety was due to the fact that she was going to see _him _again. She had been so rude to him last night, practically ignoring him. She had been so angry with him. But now... she didn't even know how to feel. Nervousness? Excitement? Caroline couldn't remember if she ever had a crush... now she had a mate. This was all... new.

Standing infront of the front door, Caroline took a deep steadying breath before pressing the door bell. But before she could even lift her hand, the door opened, revealing a quite handsome face.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Caroline plastered on her award winning Miss Mystic Falls smile. "Hi" she said softly, outstretching her hand. "You must be Elijah" she commented, as the Original took her hand in his, lifting her hand to place a kiss.

"Mmmm" he said, his nose lightly skimming her skin. "You're quite a tasty looking little thing" he smirked, releasing her hand. His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Excuse me?" Caroline scoffed. There was something about the way he was looking at her that made her skin crawl. Caroline guessed that he must have sounded pretty convincing on the phone, for her mom to not pick up his strong creeper vibes.

"Look..." she began. But stopped when suddenly he was no longer standing infront of her. A loud crash came from inside, before someone else took his place.

"You'll have to excuse my brother Kol" a rather pretty girl, who looked around Caroline's age said, giving her a small apologetic smile. "He must have been dropped on his head, several times when he was a baby, I'm sure of it" she laughed softly, almost shyly.

"I'm Rebekah" the girl outstretched her hand in greeting. "Nik and Elijah will be down in a minute."

Caroline shook her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. So this was the girl Stefan was in love with? Caroline had heard many stories about the Original sister, but this is so not what she expected. How could such a beautiful, shy, seemingly innocent girl, cause so much death and destruction? The Original sister was known to be spiteful and vengeful... her art of torture able to rival the Hybrid's own methods. Rebekah's sunny disposition made Caroline wonder if any of the stories were actually true.

An awkward silence started to settle once more. "I'm Caroline" Caroline said, hoping to diffuse some of the tension. Immediately doing a mental face palm. Like who else could she possibly be? The Originals were obviously expecting her.

"I know" Rebekah nodded, looking at her interestedly.

"Rebekah darling, would you care to invite our guest inside?" another person called from inside. And Caroline was sure that this must be Elijah. Despite not seeing him, his voice alone held an heir of authority that one would expect an older brother to have.

Rebekah blushed, obviously embarrassed. "Of course. I'm so sorry. Please do come inside" she amended quickly, standing aside to allow Caroline to pass.

If Caroline had been awed by the exterior of the mansion, then the interior stole her breath. It was beyond words. Though much of a clear palate, there was so much potential. She could clearly see the amendments that had already been started, but there was such an old world elegance to the structure of the high ceiling and the lighting fittings. "You have a lovely home" Caroline marvelled, looking around.

"Thank you" said an older gentleman in a suit. With a smile, "please allow me to introduce myself, I am Elijah" he said, offering his hand, much like Kol did. Caroline sincerely hoped that he didn't smell her blood like Kol did. That was weird.

He simply placed a soft kiss on her hand, before releasing her.

"I figured as much" Caroline commented idly, completely oblivious to the Originals who were giving her curious looks.

She was looking at a vase of blue roses when she felt his presence before she picked up on his distinct scent. Looking up to see him staring at her with such intensity that Caroline blushed, looking down. Shaking her head at her own silliness, Caroline looked at him once more. He smelled like him, alpha male, all powerful aura surrounding him, a hint of body wash and cologne. He smelled really good. And he looked even better. Black dress pants, black shoes and crisp white shirt. But he rolled up the sleeves until above his elbows for a more informal look. He was wearing different necklaces than the ones he wore last time, but Caroline couldn't be sure.

It took her a minute too long to realise that she had been openly gawking at him. Swallowing down her emotion, "your name's Nik" Caroline half asked, half stated. Internally cursing herself for saying such a stupid thing. Of course his name was Nik. That's what Rebekah said. She chuckled nervously, hoping to hide her embarrassment.

Nik smiled, his dimples on full display. He was sort of beautiful, she realised.

"Niklaus is my name" Nik explained softly, his accent doing something to her that she couldn't quite explain. "But you can call me Nik. My siblings do. Well... when they're not put off with me" he chuckled.

"Which is often enough" Rebekah added, smiling.

Caroline almost startled at the sound of Rebekah's voice, but she hid her surprise with a giggle. She almost forgot that the others were in the room, so consumed she was by the Hybrid. Nik. His name is Nik, Caroline reminded herself.

"Well then, shall we..." Elijah proceeded to usher her further into the house.

"Perhaps if you'd join me for a moment" Nik said, cutting Elijah off. He exchanged a look with Elijah, before looking to Caroline. He swallowed, looking almost nervous. "There's something I'd like to show you... if you want to, that is" he added, as if unsure.

Caroline frowned, but quickly schooled her features. "Urmm... sure" she said a bit hesitantly. By the way Nik's expression brightened like a kid's on Christmas morning, Caroline knew she made the right decision.

When he proffered his hand, she took it.


	6. Chapter 6

Whatever she expected, it wasn't this. Who would expect the homiest room in the house to be his? Not his, per say. But when the Hybrid led her though his bedroom to a set of double doors, Caroline would have never guessed this to be what lay inside.

An art room.

But not just a room, a studio. The floor was half covered in wooden tiles, and white tarpaulin. Art supplies littered the entire room. There were all kinds of sketches, paintings, done in various techniques and designs, hanging from the walls, strewn on the tables and standing on easels. Every single one of them took her breath away, and Caroline didn't know if to be more awed by the art itself or of the man who had done them. Because there wasn't a single doubt in Caroline's mind that he had done them... if not all, then most. The air in the room was thick with his scent.

"I must apologise for my behaviour yesterday. It was rather uncouth of me to ruin your birthday celebrations. Plus the manner in which I decided to explain our... relationship" he paused, as if tasting the word, "left much to be desired."

Caroline turned her attention to him.

Nik looked at her with a hint of almost regret in his eyes, "It was not my intention to frighten you sweetheart" he said sincerely. "I simply wish to be honest with you always."

Caroline thought about it for a moment, before she nodded. She was glad that he realised that he didn't handle things well yesterday, and by bringing it up today, they could move forward.

"I wasn't frightened" she stated, matter of factly. "I was angry. You telling me what to do..." she said, shaking her head. "You don't even know me Nik. And I... I definitely don't know you."

"I want to get to know you Caroline" he said, his eyes burning with curiosity. "And surely you've heard many stories about my family and I."

"That's true" Caroline agreed. "I've heard stories about what you've done, but you... I don't know you."

She hesitated only for a moment before continuing. "For instance, I've never heard a single story about this" she said, motioning to the room they were in. She walked up to one of the tables and started to paw through some of the sketches. They were all beautifully done by someone obviously incredibly skilled. "Did you do these?" she breathed, already knowing the answer. There was such fine detail that she was sure he took hours working on every single one. The artist needed to have patience, a certain level of concentration, and be passionate about the subject matter. They were from the most mundane to incredibly complex concepts.

"Yes" he answered, looking at her intently. His tone was void of any emotion, and she realised that his art must be quite an intimate thing, akin to a diary, she supposed. He was studying her for a reaction.

"They're beautiful" she complimented, marvelling at his talent. "Thank you for sharing this with me" she said softly, giving him a smile.

He reciprocated her smile. "Do you draw?" he asked suddenly.

Caroline frowned, perplexed by his question. "No" she answered, shaking her head. She didn't draw. She didn't really have much of a talent for anything.

"What do you do to pass time?" he asked instead.

Oh. He was trying to get to know her. It was such a simple thing, but it completely threw her off guard. There was something about it that was much too forced... too methodical. "Are we really going to do this right now?" Caroline asked, a bit offended.

Klaus pursed his lips. "I don't see why not" he shrugged.

"So that's just it? The mandatory twenty questions bit?" she asked, irritated. "You show me a piece of you, so I have to offer something in return."

Klaus frowned. "That's how getting to know each other works sweetheart" he stated indifferently.

Caroline scoffed. "I didn't ask you to share this with me Nik" she said, placing the sketch she was holding in her hand, back on the table. "So I'm under no obligation to tell you something about myself in return" she stated diplomatically.

She wasn't ready for this. He just showed up yesterday and now he was trying to embed her into his life. It was all too much. She was pressured as it is and didn't need...

"I fail to see what I've done wrong to upset you love" Nik said, sounding confused, and a little... annoyed?

"You fail to see what you've done to upset me?" Caroline repeated, incredulous. "Are you serious right now?"

When he didn't show any intention of answering her, she continued. "You show up out of the blue and state that I'm your mate... infront of my entire pack, by the way" Caroline ground out angrily. "Do you have any idea how long it's taken me to assert some level of independence and self sufficiency within my pack? You have no idea how hard I've had to work to prove myself as someone capable of being a leader... someone who would make my father proud and not have every alpha male in and around the territory questioning my ability... then you just show up!" Caroline practically screamed, all her frustration pouring out. "As if I didn't have enough to worry about as it is!"

"So this is what it's all about" Klaus muttered, his hands balled into fists, clenched firmly at his sides.

"Yes! This is what it's all about!" Caroline hissed, taken aback by the venom she felt coursing through her veins, but she couldn't get a handle on her temper. "You had no right! No right Nik!" she shouted. "This was supposed to be my chance to prove to myself and everyone out there that I can do this. To not just be and I quote 'the pretty little wolf queen.' You can't just come in here and expect me to bow down to you and give everything..."

"I'm not here to take anything from you Caroline" Klaus said, cutting her off. She saw his jaw clench, but he exhaled harshly, obviously trying to calm himself. "I..."

"It doesn't even matter" she said more evenly, trying to calm down. Shaking her head, "the moment I submit to you, it won't matter that I'm an alpha female" she said, her voice sounding defeated even to her own ears. "My pack... my territory... will all be under your control. You'll be the one in charge" she said sadly.

"In fact, I'm pretty sure my pack members are already considering you as their alpha and weighing up the pros and cons of being turned into your sired hybrid minions" she said, glaring at him. "Your little declaration last night was akin to claiming me."

Klaus sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I've already apologised for the way I handled things last night Caroline. I'm not quite sure what I can do to rectify the situation" he said, angry at her outburst, but sounding emotionally drained from the conversation.

"Considering that I have not in fact claimed you" he said, giving her a sympathetic look, but Caroline heard the deep longing in his tone. "I suggest a simple meeting with your pack to confirm that you are their alpha until you explicitly state otherwise."

"Because I'm supposed to believe that you're the good guy who's going to sit back and patiently wait until I decide to submit?" Caroline scoffed. "I don't think you understand... I'm never going to submit to you Nik. I'm never going to give up my pack!"

"I don't want your bloody pack Caroline" Klaus practically snarled, his eyes flashing yellow, with specks of gold tingeing the irises.

Caroline gasped, taking an involuntary step back. She looked on as he tried to rein in his temper. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths. When he opened them, deep sea blue shown with a hint of regret over his reaction. He wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue, before sighing heavily. "I don't want your pack sweetheart" he said softly, shaking his head.

Caroline frowned. "Then what do you want?" she mumbled, and the moment the words left her mouth Caroline knew she shouldn't have said them.

Klaus smirked, a few of his dimples peeking through. "You" Nik breathed.

"Only you."

* * *

"Ughh" Caroline groaned, resting her forehead on her forearms, trying to hide herself from the world around her. She wanted to crawl into a tiny ball and just disappear.

"I don't think it's as bad as you think it is" Bonnie mused softly. "You were just being yourself. Well... as much of yourself as you could be around your mate and his family" she amended gently. "And your Nik was really sweet about it."

"I basically propositioned him" Caroline mumbled dejectedly. "In front of his family" she cried.

Elena nodded. "It could have gone much worse Care. I mean, it's not like you confessed your deepest, darkest secrets. You've never been in love before. You've never had to do the whole meet the boyfriend's family thing. So trust me when I say that you actually did quite a good job."

"You think?" Caroline mumbled against her arm. After a moment, she lifted her head slightly to peek up at Bonnie and Elena who were looking at her with their expressions equal parts worried and amused. She sighed, sitting back in her seat.

"But he's not my boyfriend though" she muttered, running a hand through her hair in frustration. Alcohol. She needed alcohol. She tried to flag down the waiter, with no success. Why was the Grill always so jam packed?

"Nope. He's your mate. You can't afford to play hot and cold Care. This isn't a game" Bonnie stated matter of factly, earning a scowl from her. "What? For what it's worth, I think he's genuinely interested in spending time with you... getting to know you. He's breaking all the rules here."

"It's kind of romantic" Elena added. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed her mouth, obviously hesitating.

"What is it Lena?" Caroline broached. "You can tell me" she confirmed, giving Elena a small smile.

"It's just that" Elena started. Taking a deep breath, "I know that our moms are in love with our dads and they're living their happily ever afters. But do you ever feel like our moms were never really given a chance to choose if they wanted to be with our dads?" she started, a frown marring her features. "It's as though their whole lives were decided for them. The moment our dads laid eyes on our moms... that was is. At least your mate is giving you a chance. Don't you see that? He's wooing you... or at least he wants to. I feel kind of bad for him..." She shrugged.

In her eyes, Caroline could see her frustration and ire. It was clear that it irked Elena that Caroline was an alpha female... that Caroline couldn't be bound to her mate the way Elena would inevitably be when Elena's mate found her.

Caroline's expression softened. Elena was obviously in love with Damon. But Damon wasn't Elena's mate. Her best friend was in a dilemma, yet all Caroline was doing was complaining when she truly had no reason to. She had made no effort to contact Stefan or Damon to hear their side of the story. Suddenly she felt like a terrible friend.

"I'm not trying to be ungrateful Elena" Caroline explained softly. "I just... I was raised in a certain way... to believe that certain rules that bound others would not apply to me. Yet here I am facing a dilemma I never thought I would. I found myself in a predicament where..." Caroline hesitated, trying to find a kinder way to say what she wanted to say. But when she couldn't, she continued anyway. "I'm just like every other female werewolf out there... inevitably bound by some alpha male."

"Except your man is the Original Hybrid" Bonnie pointed out, not unkindly. "You're not just some alpha's mate Caroline. You're the mate of the most powerful creature in the world, and you're part of the Original family now. Whether you like it or not."

_"I suppose congratulations are in order" Elijah started, preventing any uncomfortable silence from settling. "You've recently graduated from Whitmore University. Do you mind me asking what you studied there?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious._

_"Oh. Urm... I'm majored in History of Art and minored in English Lit" Caroline answered, before taking a bite of her sirloin steak that Rebekah had cooked to perfection. Yes, Rebekah Mikaelson, Original vampire. Caroline was almost too nervous... afraid she'd eat her meal the wrong way and offend the girl._

_"Fond of the classics are we?" Elijah mused, giving her a kind smile._

_"Quite." Caroline shrugged. She swallowed down her bite with a sip of red wine. "I actually did a semester of Political Science, but then I switched. There was no pressure for me to go to college, so I thought why should I force myself to do something I'm not really interested in... not like I'll have to compete on the job market __or anything" she explained, realising afterwards that she sounded entirely too much like a over __privileged brat._

_"That's true" Elijah agreed. "How convenient that Niklaus is an artist" he mused, glancing at Nik for a moment. They exchanged a knowing look. _

_That look made Caroline even more uncomfortable. Something made her want to explain herself fully. __"Actually, studying Art History made me realise that it's not what I thought it would be. No offence, but it's not really my thing" she amended, giving Elijah a small smile. She had to use all her strength to not look at Nik, as she could feel his eyes piercing through her. "I enrolled to do a degree in Psychology, part time, and I signed up to do a couple courses in Architecture. I've always wanted to be an interior designer... which is just a fancy name for a decorator, I know. But it's fun. It's something I think I'll enjoy doing." _

_After skipping a beat, she continued, her anxiety causing her to ramble. She felt like an idiot for making assumptions earlier. An almost irresistible need to make amends spreading through her. "I've always had this dream of opening my own little shop... Caroline's cupcake shop is the name on the scrapbook I've been working on since I was eight." She giggled, and she was sure that she heard an edge of hysteria. Shaking her head, "I know it's silly but there's this space that recently opened up... one that I've had my eyes on for a while. I think I finally saved enough money to put a down payment on it. So..."_

_"You're going to open your own cafe?" Rebekah piped up excitedly._

_"That's the plan" Caroline stated, matter of factly. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was sure the vampires who sat at the table could readily hear it. What on earth possessed her to share that bit of information with them? No one else knew... besides her mom, dad, Bonnie and Elena. When did the Originals get updated to being privy to such a private part of her life? Yet she felt relief wash over her by sharing a part of herself with him._

_"That's wonderful Caroline" Klaus said appraisingly, giving her a proud smile._

_She blushed, looking down, suddenly feeling shy. A warmth spread through her. The thought of pleasing him, if only just a bit, made her happy. She didn't know how to feel about that. Her own emotions were giving her whiplash. "I'm going to check it out later... ya know, try to come up with a few ideas. Do you wanna come with? I mean... if you're not busy" she added hastily. She gasped, sure that her expression reflected his, so surprised by what she had asked. Caroline felt as though she were having an out of body experience._

_Trying to summon some semblance of self control and dignity, "you're obviously an amazing artist and I obviously have no idea what I'm doing... so maybe we can brainstorm? I'll show you my ideas and you'll help me follow through?" Caroline asked meekly looking up. She nibbled on her lip, trying to gage his reaction. A part of her wanted to scold herself for being so weak and needy. She shouldn't want his opinion or need his help. Another part of her wanted to give in to him. He was hers. She could do what she wanted with him. If she wanted him to spend the evening helping her... then he sure as hell better did._

_"I'd love to brainstorm with you Caroline... making all your dreams a reality would bring me great happiness" Nik answered, without skipping a beat. He calmly took a sip of his wine, offering her a secret smile._

_With one look, Caroline felt like little riding hood and Nik was the big bad wolf just waiting to swallow her whole._

"Did you ever consider that he just wants you to be happy?" Elena mused out loud, nibbling on her fries.

Shaking her head, Caroline tried to shake off her wayward thoughts. She had never felt more helpless than at lunch with the Originals. But what frightened her the most was that she didn't mind being helpless around him. There was something about him... Caroline knew that he knew exactly how to take care of her. Nik would know exactly what she needed... what she wanted. From him. From herself. Out of life.

She was dealing with an over thousand year old Original Hybrid. He was no ordinary wolf. He was being patient with her because he could. He knew what he wanted. He knew he would get it. He had all the time in the world.

Nik knew... well everything. While she... Caroline was now trying to figure things out.

"Obviously" Bonnie stated, rolling her eyes. It was so out of character for Bonnie to roll her eyes, that Caroline started to giggle. Her brightened mood immediately bringing smiles to both Bonnie and Elena's faces.

After a moment, they all sobered. Bonnie gave Caroline a calculating look. "I want you to be happy Caroline" she stated fiercely.

"I do too" Elena added quietly, but her conviction shown in her eyes.

"I'm not going to let him hurt you" Bonnie added. "If he hurts a single hair on your head... I will find a way to put him down."

"Bonnie" Elena exclaimed. Caroline too was surprised by the dark turn of Bonnie's thoughts.

Shaking her head, Bonnie sighed. "I just want you to know that you don't have to be afraid." She looked between Caroline and Elena. "I wouldn't ever let anyone hurt either of you" she stated as though it were a fact. Then turning to look at Caroline, "so you don't have to be afraid" she repeated.

"After all, one cannot run from one's own destiny" Caroline heard, her mother's words echoing in her mind.

She was Caroline Forbes. Alpha of the Mystic Falls pack.

She would not be afraid.

* * *

"Oh my darling girl, I hope you have a wonderful time tonight" Liz practically cooed, gently combing a jewelled clip into Caroline's half up do.

"You're way too excited about this" Caroline muttered, sounding very much like a petulant child. Truthfully, she was nervous. An almost crippling anxiety was bordering on the horizon and Caroline wanted nothing more than to give in. She had never felt like this before. She felt as though she were warring with herself... with the type of independent, strong woman she wanted to be, and the type who wanted to give in and be cared for. There was not a single doubt in Caroline's mind that Nik would take good care of her. The concept itself frightened her. How could she have such conflicting emotions?

"I suppose I am" Liz agreed, giving Caroline an affectionate smile reflected in the mirror. "I feel as though you're going off on your first date. I'm so pleased that someone has finally caught your eye" she said, her voice full of emotion.

"It's not a date mom" Caroline said, getting up to pack the contents of her purse, needing something to distract herself. "He's just going to help me hash out some details about the space. Ya know, I'll show him what I've been working on, and he'll tell me if I can really get it the way I want." Caroline shrugged, playing for nonchalance, and hoping very much that her mother would not call her out on it. Her emotions were reeling as it were. She was proud of herself when she declined Nik's offer to pick her up. When she gave him the address and told him to meet her there, it amounted to a small victory in her mind.

Nik had so much power over her. Caroline couldn't quite understand it. He was giving her space. He was giving her time. He was going at her pace. He claimed his stake last night and that was that. What was his game? It was driving her crazy trying to figure out what his real intentions were. Didn't he want her to submit?

Caroline was both thrilled and terrified about getting an answer to that pertinent question.

"You're nervous" Liz stated.

Caroline's shaking hands paused. She hadn't realised that she was breathing loudly, almost gasping for air. She tried to desperately get her breathing under control.

"You don't have to be afraid sweetheart" Liz continued. "If you don't want to see him, then I can let him know... you don't have to do anything you want to do. And if you believe he's a threat to you then we'll find some way to..."

"I'm not afraid of him" Caroline choked out, cutting her mother off. She looked up hesitantly. Liz looked so helpless. It made Caroline's heart clench. She looked on as Liz's expression turned to confusion.

"Then what are you afraid of?" Liz asked, perplexed.

A strangled sob escaped Caroline mouth. "Me" she cried. "I'm afraid of myself. Of what I want. I don't know... I shouldn't feel like this."

As understanding dawned on Liz, she quickly gathered her daughter in her arms. "Oh honey" Liz cooed, trying to soothe her. "There's nothing wrong feeling what you feel. Wanting what you want. I told you... I told you that one day you'll be Queen" Liz said, gently stroking Caroline's hair.

Caroline covered her mouth with her hand, hoping her strangled sobs would die down. Her emotional turmoil was too apparent.

"Well yesterday was that day, and today... you're in control my sweet baby girl. Don't be afraid of what you feel. You are smart and strong and beautiful. Let him be afraid... of what you are. Of what you can do. Of how you can make him feel. You're in control" Liz said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're in control. Don't be afraid."

"I'm in control" Caroline breathed. She sniffed, untangling herself from her mother's tight grasp. She hastily brushed her tears away with the back of her hand. She took a few deep shaky breaths, trying to calm herself.

"I love you. Your father loves you. Bonnie, Elena, our pack adores you" Liz spoke softly, but her voice full of conviction. "You're their Queen. Our Queen. Don't be afraid to be happy Caroline" Liz stated seriously. "We all want you to be happy."

"I am happy mommy" Caroline amended. She felt marginally better, her quandary of emotions simmering beneath the surface but under control. But she started to feel silly. Day two of becoming alpha of their pack and she was acting like a child, crying in her mother's arms.

"The life you've lived... the happiness you've known, before your mate stepped into your view last night." Liz shook her head, regarding Caroline intently. "Your life has just begun Caroline" she stated knowing.

"Everything you have ever known, is about to change" Liz said, sounding a bit sad. She gave Caroline a small smile.

Caroline closed her eyes, taking a deep steadying breath.

Everything already had.

* * *

**A/N:**

**THIS:**

**"Silas/Klaus: Come to New Orleans... What are you afraid of?**

**Caroline: You... I'm afraid of you!**

**Silas/Klaus: Wouldn't it be more accurate to say you're afraid of yourself? You darkest desires."**


	7. Chapter 7

**Phantogram - Black Out Days**

* * *

Caroline walked to the middle of the empty room, her high heels clicking on the concrete floor. The space was a shell. Four solid walls, a high ceiling, with a single light bulb in the centre the only source of lighting. Dirty, dusty and dilapidated, obviously in need of some tlc. Slowly doing a three sixty, she envisioned exactly what she wanted to see in real. She had a modern fairy tale theme in mind, and she only hoped that Nik didn't mock her when she told him her ideas. She didn't want it to be girly. Not exactly. That would definitely limit her clientèle. Instead, she wanted the space to exude a certain level of charm and sophistication, yet being comfortable and almost homey at the same time. She closed her eyes, taking a deep calming breath. It was a little overwhelming. Finally, after waiting so long, she was going to own her own cafe. A safe, happy place that people could come in and relax and forget about their troubles for a little while. This was the start of her dream come true.

"God, you're beautiful" he said softly, reverently.

Caroline startled. She opened her eyes, turning around to face him. Nik was looking at her in awe, his admiration shown clearly in his eyes, as he allowed his gaze to slowly trail over her figure. He wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue. Her eyes were drawn to the action. The sight of him nearly brought her to her knees. He was handsome. Devastatingly good looking, dressed in black. Dark jeans and a black Henley that highlighted his strong built. There was something innately masculine about him. Dominant. She tried to swallow down her emotions, trying to exercise some semblance of the control she had mastered in her short life. With one look from him, she felt like she was on fire.

All sense of time and space slipped through her fingers. It was just him and her. Everything else was a blur. How could one look disarm her so?

"I like you like this" Nik continued, making his way to her, looking very much like a panther stalking his prey.

No. Not panther.

Wolf.

Nik was a wolf. Like her.

Her mate.

"No false pretences. No second thoughts. No worrying about what you should say or do or feel. When we're alone... I like you like this Caroline."

"Raw" he said, his accent making the word sound dirty. His thumb and forefinger lifting to tug on his lips.

As he advanced, Caroline started stepping back, until her back hit the solid wall behind her. She gasped, her breathing becoming laboured.

"That night in the caves... the thought of hurting me crippled you. Didn't it? The thought of wanting me, devastates you. You're terrified" he breathed. He stopped, standing mere inches infront of her. He lifted his hand, the pad of his thumb pulling down her bottom lip. "I know... I feel the same way. I want you Caroline. I need you... like air. I've needed you the moment I was made aware of your existence."

"You're terrified?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Oh no sweetheart" he said, his lips tugging up into a smile that was obscene. "I'm excited. Exhilarated. Enthralled" he whispered darkly, leaning in, his cheek resting against hers. "There's nothing on this earth that I've ever wanted more."

"Right now, I want to strip you of every single piece of clothing you're wearing. Completely naked. Wrap your long, sexy legs around my waist and bury my cock deep inside your tight little cunt... claiming you. Marking you. Making you mine. I'm going to ruin you the way you've ruined me."

Ruined him? "How?" her lips formed the word, but she wasn't sure if she had spoken out loud. She felt dizzy. Her heart hammering in her chest. She instantly grasped his upper arms for support, to keep her upright.

Nik put an arm around her waist, pulling her against him.

Caroline immediately melted into his arms. Resting her head against his chest, she sought comfort from him that she wasn't sure she was getting.

"By existing" Nik breathed into her hair. His lips pressing down on the top of her head.

Caroline closed her eyes, revelling in the heat radiating off him. She could feel his warmth through her thin knitted shirt. His scent overwhelmed her senses. She buried her head into his chest, allowing her body to relax, moulding against his. It would be so easy to submit. Too easy.

Then he was gone, and Caroline felt a loss.

She opened her eyes. Nik was standing by the door, looking at her curiously, almost warily. She swallowed down her emotion. What the hell was that? Did he do that?

Standing shock still she watched him walk over to her, but he stopped a few feet away, keeping a polite, comfortable distance. "Are you all right love?" Nik asked, sounding sincere. He gave her a once over, but it was more as though he were inspecting her for signs she had been harmed, rather than out of lust as before. Caroline sagged against the wall. Why was he pretending that the last few minutes hadn't happened?

She frowned. "Seriously?" she scoffed.

She was feeling confused, aroused... rejected?

Nik's dubious expression threw her on a tangent. "You can't just say those kinds of things to me Nik!" Caroline said, her irritation clear. "Who the hell do you think you are? I get that we're mates, but we're also still strangers. If you think I'm some floozy who's going to fall to her knees at your every whim and fancy, then you got another thing coming buddy. I am a lady. I expect to be spoken to as such. And treated as such. I expect to be wooed!" she practically growled. She was breathing heavily, having worked herself up. She was so frustrated... sexual frustration? No. No?

Shaking her head, she quickly made her way to the exit, hoping he would just allow her to leave with at least some of her dignity in tact. But it was to no avail. Nik's hand on her arm effectively stopped her short. When she looked up, Nik was regarding her affectionately, as if he were amused by her outburst.

She scoffed, tugging her arm out of his grasp.

Noticing her annoyance, he sobered. "I have every intention of wooing you Caroline, as a gentleman is expected to court his intended" Nik said softly, his eyes searching hers for something she couldn't be sure. "What did you see?" he asked, after a moment.

Caroline hesitated. What? "What do you mean, what did I see?" she asked, her confusion evident in her voice.

As realisation began to dawn in her, Nik gave her a small encouraging smile. "What you see is a manifestation of... what I can only understand to be one's hopes and desires. It's mean't to be the development of an emotional and psychological connection between mates."

She flushed, looking down, embarrassment flooding her.

"I myself had a vision of you last night, but it did not quite include you being a floozy" Nik said, his eyes dancing in amusement. He was making fun of her. "It most certainly did not involve you falling to your knees... though I am not adverse to the idea" Nik mused.

He slowly lifted his hand to cradle her face. "What I would give you Caroline" he marvelled, his thumb brushing her cheek. "You need not even ask... I would show you a world that you couldn't possible imagine."

Pulling away from him, "what makes you think I want you to show me anything" Caroline asked, her voice sounding a bit breathless. She looked away feeling all kinds of foolish. She really did need to learn to get a better handle on her emotions. So far, all she had been doing was wrongfully accusing Nik, while his intentions hadn't been anything but sincere from the very start. In fact, he was quite a gentleman.

"Well then" Nik said, looking at her intently. His face didn't gave anything away, but she almost felt his disappointment lingering in the air.

"Nik... I..." Caroline started. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She needed a minute. It was too much information to process and Caroline felt like she hadn't had a moment's silence to process her thoughts since the moment Nik showed up. And now she was having visions of him? Dirty visions. Why hadn't her mother warned her that mates had visions of each other? Did she want him to claim her? Ravage her? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea sharing this with him... she should have gotten her mom, Elena, Bonnie. Hell, even Rebekah could have helped her instead of Nik. But Caroline knew that she wanted him here. There was no one else she wanted to share this with more than him.

"I'm sorry" Caroline said, giving him a small smile. She wasn't sure what she was more sorry for, but she knew she had to say it. Bonnie was right. She couldn't be hot and cold. This wasn't a game. Nik was her mate. He was just as helpless as she was about this, but he sure acted like he was in perfect control. And maybe he was. He had over a thousand years worth of experience over her. That wasn't his fault. But in over a thousand years, he had never had a mate before. This was all new to him too. "I'm really glad you came" she said honestly.

With a shaky hand, she pointed to her tote that she put on the floor. Nik collected it and Caroline reached in to pull out her scrapbook. She turned to the pages she wanted to show him. Wordlessly motioning to what she decided on.

She felt his eyes on her.

With a deep steadying breath, she looked up. His eyes shown with reverence and pride. There was something about the way he was looking her that gave her a boost of confidence.

Suddenly she felt brave. Her insecurities washing away.

It must have shown, because Nik chuckled lightly. But he made no comment on it, and for that Caroline was glad.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Care?" Bonnie asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Huh? Yeah. Definitely" Caroline nodded, distracted. She looked around, her shoulder haunched slightly as they made their way stealthily across the Forbes' estate.

"The spell is in tact Caroline" Bonnie reminded her patiently. "They can't see us."

"That doesn't mean they can't smell us" Caroline said knowingly, "or sense us if we cross their paths." She grabbed Bonnie's arm, stopping her short, as three of the guards made their way across the courtyard. They were quiet, diligent, on high alert, obviously taking their duties seriously. Of the three wolves, two were experienced, one was barely of age. He must have been seventeen years old, yet he walked along side the others, not a hint of fear showing. Caroline smiled, feeling a sense of pride fill her. Her pack was so loyal. The bravery of the young wolf warmed her heart. All the more reason to not get caught. If her father found out that she had snuck out, he would think these wolves incompetent.

"Come on" Caroline breathed, as the guards walked in the other direction. She believed in safety in numbers, but the alpha in her couldn't ignore the fault in the guard system. While the guards went the other way, anyone could easily enter the estate from this side. She made a mental note to inform her father that it would be better to have four guards instead of three, and have them branch off in two directions, two guards each. That way the enter perimeter would be covered. Caroline knew that she shouldn't need to ask her father to make these changes any longer. She was alpha. It was her responsibility to see that these changes be made herself. But Caroline needed his approval. She needed to be reassured that she was doing the right thing.

"Over there" Bonnie said, pointing to the road.

Nodding, Caroline walked over and reached her hand out. As soon as her hand touched the trunk of the car, the entire thing magically appeared infront of her eyes. She could say that she was awed by Bonnie's concealment spell, but this magic trick was just the tip of the iceberg of what her best friend could do. In fact, Caroline was sure that there was nothing Bonnie couldn't do.

She opened the door and was about to slip into the front seat of Bonnie's platinum grey Volkswagen Beetle when...

"Caroline?" Elena whispered, coming out from behind the fence bushes.

"Elena?" Caroline said, her confusion quickly fading as she motioned her friend to come over. Then she realised that Elena couldn't see her because of the concealment Bonnie had placed on her. But Elena had picked up on Caroline scent.

Caroline grabbed Elena's hand so that Elena could see her, before motioning to the car again.

Elena slipped into the back seat of the car before Caroline sat in front, closing the door. Bonnie started the car, and without a moment's hesitation they sped off.

"Great, I took all that effort to sneak out to see you and you two were sneaking out without me" Elena muttered, sounding very much like a petulant child.

"We're going to the Salvatores" Bonnie supplied helpfully. "We really didn't think you'd want to come."

"You could have at least asked" Elena said, clearly annoyed. "God! Do you have any idea how insufferable my mom is being right now? What the hell is up with this curfew? Why the hell are they suddenly treating us like children?"

"I don't know" Caroline said, shaking her head. "I spent the evening with Nik and as soon as I got home, my mother informed me that I won't be allowed to go outdoors after midnight."

Caroline scoffed. She had such a wonderful time with Nik. He was attentive, understanding, and he seemed to be genuinely interested in her eyes. She still felt like a fool for acting the way she had after getting that vision. But she tried her best to put her insecurities aside. Never once did he look bored. It was as though he really was happy to spend time with her. He even accompanied her home, walking with her right up to the front door, before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek and bidding her goodnight. The night was almost too perfect. Then it wasn't. Liz was waiting on the other side of the front door, with specific instructions about the curfew. Bill had instructed that Caroline be in the company of guards at all times. Two of which would stand right outside her bedroom door.

Caroline wanted to argue. She really did. She wanted to shout and scream as loudly as her lungs would allow, that she was an alpha. The alpha of the Mystic Falls pack. Her father no longer had any right to try to keep her in a gilded cage. But then she saw the worry in her mother's face, the genuine fear that shown in her eyes, and Caroline knew that something wasn't right. When she asked to speak with her father, and her mother informed her that Bill was out, that was all the confirmation Caroline needed. There was a threat, and Bill had gone to take care of it.

"And the worst part is" Caroline mumbled, sounding completely dejected. "They didn't even tell me what was wrong. I'm the alpha female of the Mystic Falls pack, and my parents didn't even deem it necessary to consult me. It's like... it's like his proclamation didn't even matter. My opinion doesn't matter."

"Don't say that Care" Bonnie said, giving Caroline a fleeting glance before putting her eyes on the road again. "The entire pack adores you" she stated matter of factly.

"Yeah they do" Caroline nodded. "I'm such a novelty to them. A wolf Queen. So rare. They adore me." She sounded so bitter, but she couldn't help it. "But they don't respect me. They sure as hell don't trust me to rule over them."

"Caroline, your dad is probably really worried. I mean, it's not like you've been doing this for years. Your father stepped down and you took his place yesterday" Elena said, her head popping out from the middle, between the two front seats. "He's not about to throw you in the deep end and watch you either sink or swim. He's still your father. He's still over protective."

"... still a pain in the ass" Caroline muttered. But her aggravation was now half hearted. She understood what Elena mean't. So much had happened in two days. Caroline became alpha. She found out that she had a mate. She felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. No wonder her parents didn't tell her about a possible threat.

"As all fathers are" Elena mumbled. "Wanna bet that my dad's with yours right now?" she sighed.

"Why are you going over to the Salvatores anyway?" Elena asked, after a beat of silence. "I'm pretty sure the whole point of the curfew was to keep the wolves away from the vampires during feeding time" she explained.

Caroline frowned. That couldn't be right. If the council really wanted to protect the wolves from the vampires then the curfew would have been in place since Stefan and Damon came to town. But the curfew had only been placed tonight.

Oh.

Did her father think that the Originals were going to be a threat to the wolves? Caroline didn't want to believe that. The Originals were Original vampires. Nik was the Original Hybrid. They had to have perfect control over their blood lust, but Caroline couldn't be sure. At the table Caroline had shared with them, they hadn't drank any blood at all. But she didn't want to believe that Nik would allow his family to jeopardize his relationship with her.

Surely Nik must realise that anything he said or did would reflect on her, as her mate. Caroline was the leader of the Mystic Falls pack and the Original Hybrid was her mate. Their behaviour towards each other and those around them would attract attention. Caroline didn't want to spark controversy. This is exactly what she had mean't when she had lashed out at Nik in his art studio. He had been in town for only two days and the wolves were already questioning her ability to lead them without Nik's prejudice in the way. But did he even have prejudice? Nik was half werewolf, half vampire. She couldn't fathom him being okay with vampires slaughtering wolves. She expected him to be protective of both species. Equally.

Maybe that was the problem.

A cold feeling washed over her as panic and uncertainty flooded her. Bonnie must have sensed it, because she gave her friend a fleeting glance, brows puckered in dismay, before turning her attention to the road once again.

"Bonnie watch out!" Elena screamed.

Several things happened at once.

Bonnie slammed on the brakes, but as the car skidded to a halt it made impact with another vehicle. Caroline turned her head, her arm reaching out to prevent Elena from flying through the car. Caroline idly noticed that the other car quickly pulled in reverse, it's engine revving. Bonnie's air bag popped out as Bonnie's body slammed into it. The other car sped forward, ramming Bonnie's car from Bonnie's side, Bonnie's limb body being tossed around like a rag doll. But before Caroline could react, her body whipped to the side in an almost break neck fashion. She hadn't even noticed that there was a second car until it rammed into her side. A Dodge Challenger, she thought idly. She knew that car. She knew that colour. Redline Red. Oh, no... Caroline whimpered.

The Dodge pulled in reverse, and in a matter of seconds it slammed into Bonnie's beetle again. Caroline's head slammed against the dash on impact. Excruciating pain spread from the left side of her head to the right side, her brain feeling as though it would explode from the pressure. A white noise, a ringing filled Caroline's head as her vision became blurred. She felt like an outsider looking in as he opened the door, and stepped out of the car. As he walked, Caroline's eyes felt heavy.

Before darkness began to descend, one face came to mind.

"Nik..." Caroline breathed, slipping into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

Caroline gasped, startling awake. There was a ringing inside her head, that made it difficult to catch her bearings, but when she noticed a bruised and groggy Elena lying on one side and an unconscious Bonnie lying on the other, Caroline's mind and vision cleared instantly. The memory of what had occurred flooded her mind.

"Bonnie" Caroline cried, her face etched with worry. She tried to reach out to Bonnie, but then looked up, noticing her hands were bound together by shackles, that were connected to the wall behind her. She pulled at them, but as the shackles rubbed against her wrist, she winced. It was then she noticed that the skin on her wrists were rubbed raw and bleeding.

Caroline sniffed, the seriousness of the situation starting to weigh heavily on her. This was all her fault. If she hadn't called Bonnie to help her sneak out, then Elena, her and Bonnie would be slumbering it at the Forbes' estate. Now, her friends were in mortal danger because of her.

Elena whimpered, her hand reaching out to the clutch the side of her head.

"Elena, wake up" Caroline pleaded. "Please Elena, you've got to wake up" she begged. "Bonnie's unconscious... she's bleeding. You have to..."

"Awwww... well isn't this is sight for sore eyes" a strange man slowly walked closer, from the dark depths of the cave, towards the cellar Caroline, Bonnie and Elena were in. The cell door was open. The man walked to the threshold, leaning against the frame. He folded his arms, looking at Caroline curiously.

"What the hell do you want?" Caroline spat out maliciously.

Two more men walked out of the darkness, and Caroline squinted. She realised that she couldn't see past the edge of light. She frowned, her eyes studying the men intently.

"Magic" the first man supplied helpfully. He chuckled, his eyes lighting up with an emotion Caroline couldn't quite place.

Uneasiness settled in the pit of her stomach and she swallowed down her emotion, but when the man turned and started to walk away, Caroline couldn't quite help herself. "I asked you, what the hell do you want with us?" Caroline screamed, the sound of her voice bouncing accross the walls.

The man stopped. "Silly little wolf Queen" he said, sounding almost pitying. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with you" he said, and it sounded too much like a threat.

Before Caroline could even register what was happening, the two other men made their way inside the cellar. One lifted Bonnie up, while the other grabbed Elena by the hair and pulled her along.

"Leave them alone!" Caroline screamed, her throat feeling raw. She screamed and cried, begged them leave Bonnie and Elena alone.

Elena's body trashed, her hands coming up to claw at the hand in her hair, but it was to no avail. It was clear that Elena was not fully conscious, and her body was definitely not cooperating. Caroline didn't know if it was out of sheer malice, or indignation, but when Elena's nails dug into the skin on the man's hand, he tightened his grip and swung Elena against the iron bars of the cell. The sound of Elena's head being slammed against the solid metal, sent a fresh wave of panic through Caroline. Elena immediately stopped trashing, her hands falling limb. "Much better" he man mumbled, as he continued to drag her out.

"Please" Caroline cried. "Please don't hurt them" she begged. "Whatever you want... I can give it to you. Money? My family has lots of money. Anything you want. I'll get it for you and you'll just walk away. I promise... we won't come after you. Just left Bonnie and Elena go! Please! Please!"

The sound of iron chains being pulled was the last thing Caroline heard before the rain washed away her tears.

* * *

The sound of Bonnie's voice woke her up. Caroline sagged against the wall, her body almost numb from the pain. Her mind... she was utterly exhausted.

"Bitch!" an angry voice shouted out, before what must have been the sound of a slap echoed through the space.

The sound of Bonnie's whimper, made Caroline's heart clench painfully. Fresh tears sprung in her eyes.

Bonnie said something again, and again a slap sounded. But this time, there wasn't a single slap. The man kept shouting, and it sounded like he kept hitting her. Yet Bonnie wouldn't stop. Caroline knew that Bonnie was trying to say a spell. Bonnie was trying to save them.

The first man, the one who had threatened her, walked out of the darkness and stood by Caroline's cell door, that was now shut.

"Please" Caroline tried. "If I can just talk to her" she reasoned, "I'll tell Bonnie to not try anything. I promise... she won't use her magic."

The man merely smiled. "I've heard a lot about you. You'd do anything to save your friends" he said. "And they'd do anything to save you" he mused, "quite a beautiful symmetry to that, don't you think?" he asked, chuckling lightly, as though he were privy to an inside joke that Caroline had no idea about.

Turning away, "what's one short of taking away a witch's magic?" the man shouted.

There was a moment of utter silence, as the beatings stopped. "What, boss?" the other man asked.

"You sew her mouth shut!" the man shouted.

"No!" Caroline screamed, horrified, as the beatings started again. The men started to laugh. "No! Please! Please, don't hurt her! Please!"

The tell tale rattle of the iron chains caused a downpour.

Unconsciousness didn't take her before Bonnie's gut wrenching screams pierced the air.

* * *

"The three little piggies are safe and sound" Caroline heard the man say, as she slowly crawled back into consciousness. There was pounding inside her head that only intensified as she lifted her head. She felt as though hre skull was about to crack open from all the pressure inside it.

She noticed that the man was idly walking along the border, where the light met the darkness. He was on the phone... his hand clutching something by his ear, and he was speaking softly. "No permanent damage, which is a miracle because these three bitches ain't easy to deal with."

The man chuckled at something the person on the other end of the phone must have said. "I know I know..." he nodded absently. "If you want to really ruin the slut, then let me have a go at her" he said, trying to sound convincing. "By the time I'm done with her, she'll be like a bitch in heat... you won't even have to worry about taming her. I'll fuck all that alpha female bullshit right out of her. As a matter of fact..."

There was a moment of silence, as Caroline assumed the other person was talking. Silent tears started to fall down her cheeks, as the possibility of being harmed like that started to settle on her. Was he going to rape her? No no no. She shook her head, tugging on the shackles in vain.

"We made a deal!" the man shouted suddenly. Caroline startled, pressing against the wall behind her.

"All right, all right" the man acquiescenced. Running a hand through his hair, he chuckled derisively, glancing at Caroline. When he noticed she was awake, looking at him, a cruel smile spread on his face. "I won't fuck the bitch" he spat out, his eyes still on Caroline.

Caroline shivered, genuine fear filling her.

"What about the other one?" he asked, after a beat, taking his eyes off Caroline. "No, the brunette wolf. She tried to bite one of my boys and he got a little rough with her, but she ain't dead. Just woke up actually... can I fuck around with that one?"

The man chuckled, shaking his head at something the other person on the line said. "You ain't paying me enough for this job. I mean, my boys got no form of entertainment" he said, his eyes glancing back at Caroline. "I raise you twenty five grand for the five star treatment" he threw out.

There was a minute of silence, as the person on the other end of the phone spoke, before the man's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Pleasure doing business with you" he nodded, disconnecting the call.

A few minutes of silence passed as the man just looked at her. He opened the cell phone up, taking the battery out, then the sim card and memory card. He made a show of breaking them up into bits of pieces, before passing the handful of debris to another man who took it.

"Was that really necessary?" Caroline mumbled. Her voice sounded foreign to her. She tried to clear her throat, but then winced because of how raw it was.

The man shrugged, making his way over to lean on the cell. "You're awfully brave for such a young pretty thing" he commented.

"Why'd you say that?" Caroline breathed, coughing slightly. She tasted her own blood on her tongue.

"If I had it my way, you'd already be dead and buried" the man said, ignoring her question. "Gone..." he explained, "without a trace."

"But it's not up to you, is it?" Caroline asked, already knowing the answer. No. Obviously, the person in charge was the one the man just spoke to over the phone. Caroline didn't want to think about it. She didn't want that face inside her head. She didn't want to remember who had dragged her out of the car on the street, who was responsible for all of this. No. Caroline couldn't... she just couldn't believe...

"That's your problem right there. You don't ever shut the fuck up" the man spat out. "Clack clack clack" the man said, his hand making a duck beak. He leaned away from the cell bars, rocking back and forth for a moment, until he went to the iron chains.

Fear spiked in her like adrenaline. Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but with one quick tug of the chain, it was too late.

* * *

As time went by, she found it harder and harder to stay conscious for very long.

She quickly began to associate the iron chains with pain. The man only pulled the chains when she spoke, so for the past couple of times she'd been conscious, Caroline tried not to speak. She tried not to make a single move.

An innate part of being a werewolf was the ability to sense when the moon was in the sky, so Caroline was able to tell that the sun had risen and set since she had been down here. Twelve hours. Perhaps even longer, since she had last seen Bonnie and Elena.

There was utter silence from Bonnie, and Caroline tried hard to not think about what that mean't.

Every once in a while, there was a scuffle and a whimper from Elena, which mean't that she was alive, and for that Caroline was grateful.

She tried to see past her blurry vision, tried to understand what the garbled voices were saying, but nothing but the strong stench of blood pervaded her senses.

Her blood.

There was so much of it every where, polluting the air.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to summon an ounce of strength, but she couldn't so much as lift a finger where her hands were shackled to the walls. A groan of frustration escaped her and to her absolute horror the men must heard her because a man chuckled.

"Oh no no no" she cried, as heavy footsteps made their way to the cell door. The all too familiar sounds of rusted chains being pulled.. "No please" she pleaded, sobs racking her body, "please," she screamed, her voice taking a desperate edge, before there was no sound at all. As the wolfs bane solution rained from above, her mouth opened as a silent scream filled the air, before she fell into unconsciousness again, her body's only escape from the excruciating pain.

* * *

A distant scream pierced the air, followed by a thud and a grunt.

Caroline tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy. She felt groggy, her whole body searing in pain.

Another scream came from a distance... followed by another. Caroline realised that the sounds were coming closer. It sounded like fighting. She whimpered, tugging on the shackles, as the sounds became louder. The chains dangled, and Caroline tried to turn in on herself, bracing herself for the onslaught of pain. The cell door banged open, Caroline startled.

"Oh my God" a vaguely familiar voice spoke.

A shaky hand stroked Caroline's cheek, and she turned her head away, trying to get out of harm's way.

"Oh my God" the person said again. The person's voice was wavering, full of emotion. "Oh my sweet baby girl" the person cooed softly.

Caroline frowned. She clenched her teeth tightly, and tried to focus her other senses. She tried to pick up on the person's scent, but she couldn't. The scent of her own blood was all she had known for hours.

"You're okay now Caroline" the person said gently. "You're safe. Those bad men aren't going to hurt you ever again."

Caroline strained to hear. Though she could understand the words spoken, she couldn't identify who spoke them.

"I'm going to let your hands go, okay honey" the person said softly. As the person touched Caroline's hands, she whimpered, crying out in pain. The person hissed, immediately letting go.

"Oh Bill" the person sobbed. A woman. It was a women. "They've been soaking her in wolfs bane... her skin..."

"Mom?" Caroline choked out, coughing up blood. She knew they hadn't understood... Caroline sensed more than one person in the cellar. "Mommy?" she tried again.

"Yes!" Liz cried. "Yes, baby it's me!" she said, pressing her face against Caroline's. Caroline knew that her skin had wolfs bane on it... that the wolfs bane would have burned Liz's skin too.

"May I" another person said softly.

"Caroline honey, Klaus is going to take the shackles off, okay?" Liz said, cupping Caroline's face gently. "Don't be afraid. He won't hurt you."

Klaus. Klaus?

Caroline felt his hands on hers, tugging at the shackles by her wrists. In one smooth move the shackles came off, but in the same moment, the iron chains made a sound as though they were being pulled down. As the wolfs bane solution rained down, screams filled the air. It took Caroline a moment too long to realise that none of the screams belonged to her. Her arms were wrapped around herself, but there was another pair of arms wrapped securely around her. The steady beat of a heart by her ear. Caroline buried her face in the person's chest and inhaled deeply.

"Nik..." she breathed.

His grip on her tightened infinitesimally.

* * *

It was a dreamless sleep, too often interrupted.

There was shouting, but Caroline began to appreciate the different voices. Her mother, father, Elena's parents, Bonnie's grams, the Originals... Nik. Caroline couldn't just hear him. She felt him... his very presence anchored her, renewed her strength.

She directed them to where Elena and Bonnie were. Tried to explain as best she could, what had happened, in her weakened state.

When Bonnie's Grams let out a guttural cry after seeing Bonnie's state, Caroline tried to burrow deeper into Nik's chest. He held on to her as she held on to him, needing the physical reassurance that the torture had come to an end.

Caroline knew that Elena wasn't less worse for wear, but the difference between her and Elena, from Bonnie was that they could heal... quickly. As werewolves, their bodies were stronger, more durable. Bonnie... Bonnie was only human. Her greatest strength was her magic, and perhaps by taking it away was just as bad, if not worse, than being repeatedly showered with wolfs bane.

As her mother bathed her, washed the wolfs bane off her skin... Nik and Rebekah waited outside the door. Elijah and Kol and her father, Mr. Lockwood, Tyler and Elena's dad were still out there, trying to find out what had happened and put the pieces to the puzzle together with the information she had provided. Caroline could almost feel the anger radiating off Nik. She had a distinct feeling that those slaughtered, were by his hand, and the ones in captivity would face his wrath. But for now, he didn't want to leave her, and Caroline was glad.

Liz kept talking. She mentioned that after Miss Sheila failed to trace them, the Originals had called upon favours from various covens. There were dozens of vampires, witches, and hybrids currently in Mystic Falls, all having been put to the task of finding her, the Hybrid's mate, at the Hybrid's command. Klaus had stationed his Hybrids to guard the Forbes' estate.

Klaus?

"Nik" Caroline corrected her mother.

Her mother shook her head. "He is only Nik to you" Liz said softly.

"He is so kind to me" Caroline added, to Nik's benefit, knowing that he could clearly hear her, standing outside her bedroom door.

She fell asleep at some point while her mother was drying her hair. She was woken in what seemed like no time at all, to be given something to eat. Her mother made macaroni and cheese... her favourite.

When she asked to see Nik, she was told that he had left. The Originals were dealing with the aftermath of what had happened. Nik and her father were working quite well together. Caroline smiled, but it was forced. She didn't particularly care about anything but seeing him... being with him. She was numb to everything around her, but being with Nik... she felt safe. She felt real. She needed to feel.

After she ate, she closed her eyes... her mother sang to her. As Liz stroked her hair, Caroline fell asleep.

* * *

She startled awake. The memories turned into nightmares, haunting her. There was no reprieve.

Caroline clutched her blanket tightly, breathing in deeply, trying to steady her heart that was hammering inside her chest. She swallowed down her emotion and slowly got off her bed, on shaky feet. Her body felt weak. Her throat felt parched. The sunlight was flooding through the window, which mean't that Caroline really hadn't slept much at all.

She stood within reach of the rays, allowing the light to shine on her. She wanted to use the heat, but after a few seconds it burned. Her skin was still too sensitive from all the wolfs bane. She sighed.

Caroline pulled her satin and lace robe over her matching night gown and made her way downstairs to get a drink of water. On her way to the kitchen, she was stopped by the sound of voices coming from the parlour. She approached slowly, not in a mood to socialise but when she saw his face, anger surged through her form.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Caroline shouted, ignoring both her mother's surprised expression and Mrs. Lockwood's outraged one.

"I was just asking your mom about you" Tyler said patiently, not the least bit deterred by her reaction over seeing him in her home.

Caroline stopped short, as realisation began to dawn on her. "It was you" Caroline breathed. She stepped back, trying to distance herself from him.

"Caroline, honey" Liz broached tentatively.

"It was him" Caroline hissed. As traitor tears filled her eyes, Caroline shut her eyes tightly, breathing in deeply, trying to get her emotions under control. She wouldn't let him know how affected she was. She would not let him win. "It was him who had Elena, Bonnie and I kidnapped... tortured. It was him!" Caroline said loudly, her voice just shy of a shout, as she pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"Hey now" Tyler said, slowly getting up, with his hands help up in front of him. His face was schooled carefully, not giving anything away.

"Caroline, sweetheart" Liz said softly. "Do you understand what you're saying?"

"How dare you accuse my son!" Mrs. Lockwood cried out, getting up as well.

"It's okay" Tyler said, trying to calm his mother down. When she settled, he turned to Caroline and addressed her as one would a small child who had just fallen down and gotten a bruise. "I understand that you've been through a lot, Care, but I would never ever hurt you" he said slowly, convincingly. "I would never hurt Bonnie and Elena either. I don't know..."

"Where these accusations are coming from!" Mrs. Lockwood cried. "My family has been nothing but completely loyal since the beginning, and now you want to jeopardise a peaceful society for a completely unfounded..."

"Mom" Tyler cut her off angrily. "Caroline has been kidnapped and experienced excruciating pain" he said to his mother, before looking between Caroline and Liz. "She's still healing. Obviously, there's some unresolved trauma... you're confused" he summed up, giving Liz a small smile.

"Mom?" Caroline asked, seeking support, or at the very least comfort.

Liz looked down, shaking her head. "Caroline, Tyler was here last night... everyone was so worried. The entire pack was out looking for you girls as soon as I realised you were gone."

"I know it's him mom" Caroline said, her voice taking a pleading edge. She racked her brain to find some way to convince them that it was Tyler. Proof. She needed proof.

"Is he the one who drowned you in wolfs bane?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, looking at Caroline so menacingly that Caroline had to resist the urge to step back.

"What?" she mumbled, confused.

"Was Tyler down in that cellar with you?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, moving to stand by Tyler's side.

Caroline glanced at her mother, who was now looking at her expectantly, but with a frown on her face.

"No" Caroline answered, shaking her head.

As a self satisfied look came on Mrs. Lockwood's face, Caroline continued, "but he's the one behind it all. I heard one of the men talking to him over the phone."

"Was Tyler on the other end of the phone?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, a contemplative look on her face.

"Yes!" Caroline nodded.

"How do you know?" Mrs. Lockwood asked.

"What?"

"You heard me!" Mrs. Lockwood shouted angrily.

"Mom" Tyler chided.

"How did you know Tyler was the one the man was speaking to?" Mrs. Lockwood asked again, completely ignoring Tyler.

"I don't... I just..." Caroline stuttered.

"Exactly!" Mrs. Lockwood spat out. "I will not tolerate..."

In the blink of an eye, Liz was standing between Caroline and Mrs. Lockwood. "And I will not tolerate threats against my daughter" Liz spoke slowly, carefully, but the inherent seriousness of the situation that had escalated dawned on Tyler's mother.

After a moment, she bowed her head slightly, before pulling Tyler along as they made their way out.

Caroline listened to their footsteps as they made their way to the door. She heard the front door open, and close. She scoffed, running her hand through her hair in frustration. It was Tyler... Tyler was the one who caused the accident. He was the one who paid those men to kidnap her, Bonnie and Elena. Tyler had set this whole thing up...

The engine of the car rumbled as it started...

"The car!" Caroline shouted suddenly.

Liz spun around, looking at Caroline curiously.

"The car" Caroline repeated, rushing towards the door, as Liz followed her. "Tyler slammed his car into Bonnie's beetle. I remember. There were two cars. Tyler's Dodge was one of them. He slammed into my side... my head hit the dash and I was losing consciousness, but I saw him!" she said, full of conviction.

Caroline threw the door open and ran outside just as Tyler was about to pull off in reverse.

The red Dodge was completely untainted by the accident. There was not a single dent in the form, or scratch in the paint. Tyler turned to the front and looked at her curiously, before Liz waved at him.

Tyler's mom was studiously ignoring them, but Caroline heard her huff, before Tyler eventually made his way out of the drive.

She could feel her mother's eyes on her, as Tyler drove off, but honestly, Caroline didn't know what to say. She knew she wasn't going crazy. She knew what she saw, even though there was nothing to prove it. "Don't tell dad just yet" Caroline said conspiratorially, as she made her way back inside. "I have to talk to Elena and Bonnie first... find some way to prove..."

"I think you should go lie down" Liz said softly.

Caroline's head shot up. "Mom?"

"I think you've been through quite a lot sweetheart, and maybe it's all crashing down on you at once... maybe if you just lie down and let yourself heal" Liz tried, giving her daughter a small smile.

"You don't believe me" Caroline choked out.

When her mother reached out to her, Caroline took a step back. Shaking her head, "how could you not believe me? I know what I saw mom!" Caroline cried, gasping for breath as panic started to wash over her. If her own mother didn't believe her then nobody would. That mean't that Tyler... no. Tyler couldn't go free. Not after everything that had happened to her... Bonnie, Elena.

"Sweetheart, maybe you saw what you wanted to see" Liz tried. "Baby you were placed in such a traumatising situation that your mind conjured up a way to deal with it... you've always considered Tyler a threat, so maybe your mind decided to put the blame on him for this. It would be easy to blame Tyler, than believe it was some random attack."

"But I told you about the phone call and the money" Caroline said, shaking her head. She was feeling dizzy.

"There's no cellphone sweetie... there's nothing to show that call was made or any amount of money delivered. We killed all the men that were guarding outside, but we caught the three men that were inside. They confessed to everything. I understand how difficult it must be to believe that strangers would..."

"Don't" Caroline shouted, turning away from her mother. She closed her eyes tightly, but she couldn't stop the sobs that escaped.

"Caroline, baby" Liz tried to comfort her. "It's going to be okay. You're just confused."

At the sound of that word, something snapped inside of Caroline. Confused? Tyler thought she was confused. Mrs. Lockwood thought she was confused. Her own mother thought she was confused. Did they all think she was going crazy? Did they think she was broken? This was exactly what Tyler wanted... he wanted to diminish her in the eyes of others. He wanted everyone to believe that she wasn't capable any more.

"I have to go" Caroline said, tightening the sash on her robe. She had no place else to go, but she couldn't stay here. She needed to see Bonnie and Elena. She needed to be far, far away from people who didn't believe her.

"You know you can't leave Caroline" Liz stated seriously, blocking her path.

Caroline opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off by a knock on the door. She startled. She and her mother were standing right by the front door. It was odd that the person would knock and not ring the doorbell. She quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, that was shaking. Moving around her mother, she opened the front door.

"Rebekah" Caroline breathed, a genuine smile forming on her face, even as tears filled her eyes.

"Caroline" Rebekah said, worriedly, an apple pie in her hands. The Original vampire had obviously heard the conversation Caroline had with her mother. "Come on" Rebekah commanded, turning on her heel.

"Excuse me" Liz piped up. "My daughter's not going any where with you. She's staying inside this house where I know she'll be safe" Liz said, her irritation clear.

Rebekah turned back around, and pinned Liz with a look, offering her a too sweet smile. "There's no place safer for Caroline than with her mate. After all, Nik is the one who found her" Rebekah said, her tone even, before spinning around again and making her way down the drive.

Caroline hesitated. Dressed in a nightgown, barefooted and a total emotional wreck.

"Caroline" Liz said, her voice wavering slightly.

"I'll be fine mommy" Caroline said, giving her mother a small smile. "I'll call you okay."

After a moment, Liz nodded.

Caroline looked at her mother one last time, before following in Rebekah's wake.


	9. Chapter 9

Rebekah sighed, stopping at the foot of the staircase. She knew what would come. She was not unaccustomed to Niklaus' rage.

Nor Elijah's over protectiveness.

There was almost a two second gap between the Aston Martin being switched off and the front door slamming shut. In a flash, Elijah tugged Rebekah behind him as Klaus lunged at her.

"How dare you!" Klaus roared, his eyes blazing. She could practically feel the anger rolling off him in waves. "I warned you that Caroline is not a toy Rebekah. Are you so truly so hateful of me that you care so little for her?"

"Niklaus I pray you would calm yourself" Elijah commanded softly, angling his body infront of Rebekah's every time Klaus made a move to get to her. Throwing a fleeting glance up the stairs, "Caroline is asleep... you'd do well to not awaken her in such a manner" he commented gently.

Elijah's momentary distraction was all it took for Klaus to shove him aside and grab Rebekah by her hair. She whimpered, but made no effort to resist him until they were outside, several feet into the woods, at the back of the Mikaelson mansion.

"Get your hands off me" she grumbled, pulling away from him.

Klaus roughly shoved her back, and she stumbled to the ground. Rebekah huffed, getting back on her feet, and carefully trying to fix her hair. After a moment, "I understand why you would be upset Nik" Rebekah started. "I should have called..." she continued.

Klaus snarled, coming at her again. His hand was firmly wrapped around her neck and her back was shoved against a tree trunk so hard that the bark groaned in protest. "You took her from her home" Klaus said, his voice menacingly soft, but even. "From the protection of her mother, her pack and over three dozen hybrids and a coven of witches whom I have commanded to oversee her, to bring her here?" he asked incredulously.

Rebekah scoffed, irritated by the fact that he thought her incapable of protecting Caroline. Then she coughed slightly when Klaus' grip around her neck tightened infinitesimally. She almost couldn't breathe. "Caroline was going to leave home anyway" Rebekah choked out.

At Klaus' perplexed expression, she shoved at his chest. She idly noted that Elijah was standing a little way away, obviously having decided to allow them to handle this confrontation on their own. Klaus frowned, releasing his grip on her. "What do you mean she was going to leave home?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Exactly what I said" Rebekah stated, ignoring the withering look he gave her. Taking a deep breath, "I over heard a conversation she was having with her mother... Caroline was going to leave home one way or another. I just offered her a rather viable escape option." Rebekah shrugged, a self satisfied smile forming on her face.

Klaus frowned, turning to exchange a look with Elijah. Elijah was frowning as well. He turned around to look at the house for a long moment, before looking back at Klaus. "Why on earth would she want to leave home?" Elijah asked, astonished.

* * *

"Are you sure that..." Kol started.

Klaus growled lowly, but Elijah easily ignored him. "If Caroline believes that the Lockwood boy is responsible, then so shall we" Elijah stated, giving Kol a reprimanding look.

"I'm just saying that, we hardly know her, and if Caroline's own mother doesn't..." Kol tried again.

"Are you asking for a dagger in your heart?" Klaus snarled, flashing over to where Kol was standing by the fireplace. He felt idle... fidgety. Helpless... not being able to act. All this talking was driving Klaus insane.

Kol immediately stepped back, putting his hands up in front of him in surrender. His face was serious for once, no sign of jest showing in his eyes. It made Klaus pause.

"I'm not insulting her intelligence Nik" Kol said honestly, "Caroline saw what she saw. I'm just saying that... well there were several traces of magic in the caves that night. I'm familiar with the work of witches, and with magic... anything is possible." He shrugged, putting his hands down. "Did it ever occur to you that what she saw might not have been real?" He ran a hand through his hair, a thoughtful look on his face, as though he were genuinely concerned about the situation.

Words could not express how much Klaus appreciated Kol in that moment.

"Well Caroline said that she didn't see anyone familiar in the caves" Rebekah offered. "She recognised Tyler's car as the one that was involved in the accident, and Caroline is sure that Tyler was the one to pull her out..."

"But then Caroline said that Tyler's car didn't have a single scratch on it when she saw it this afternoon" Rebekah mused. "It's like someone made a great effort to hide Tyler's involvement completely" she said, her brows puckered in dismay. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, shaking her head.

"What is it?" Klaus asked impatiently. He wetted his lips with the tip of his tongue. With a deep breath, he made his way over to where Elijah sat, and took a seat himself.

"Bonnie's staying at the hospital in Whitmore. Not the one in Mystic Falls. Stefan went to visit, but Bonnie's grand mother wouldn't let him see her. Stefan said that he's sure Bonnie's grand mother spelled Bonnie's room... he said that he wasn't even by the door yet but he could feel his flesh being burned, by either sun or vervain... it must be a pretty damn strong spell though" Rebekah informed them.

"And what of the Gilbert girl?" Elijah asked patiently.

Rebekah sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Stefan said that Damon visited her home, but he wasn't allowed to see her. He was met with almost hostile attention. It's like... it's like with all these witches, vampires and hybrids hanging around... the wolves seem to be feeling a bit restless."

"Is that your opinion or the Ripper's?" Klaus asked with fake sweetness.

Rebekah scoffed, irritated. "You don't even understand!" she said heatedly.

Klaus opened his mouth to argue, but the softest whimper caught his attention.

* * *

"No" Caroline breathed.

"No please" she begged, tugging on the restraints. She was gasping for breath as panic consumed her, tears springing in her eyes. She couldn't see... there was only darkness.

"Please don't" she cried. She could feel the flesh on her wrists being burnt as she tried to pull her hands out of the shackles, but she didn't even care. The skin on her whole body had been burned raw by continuously being showered in wolfs bane. Her clothes rubbing on her open wounds creating an even more painful friction. There was nothing but pain... so much so that Caroline could categorise the different levels of pain.

"Caroline" a soft voice said. Two hands cradled her face gently. "Wake up my love."

Caroline shook her head, trying to turn away. "No please" she said, her voice nearly breathless.

"You're safe sweetheart. It's just a dream... you're safe now."

She tried to struggle, but then realised she couldn't move. She gasped, fresh tears streaming down her face. "Please. Please don't hurt me..."

The hands on her face were so gentle, two thumbs wiping away her tears, but more fell in their place. The soft voice kept mumbling words of comfort, soothing her. "Ssshhh... you're safe now. You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I won't let anyone hurt you."

Caroline heaved, struggling to breathe. The pain slowly ebbed away, replaced by a heaviness inside her head. She slowly opened her eyes, realising that her hands weren't above her, shackled to the wall, but instead, they were by her sides clutching the blanket. She looked up into two sea blue eyes studying her intently.

A dream.

It was just a dream.

Taking a deep steadying breath, Caroline sat up, leaning against the headboard. Nik's hands fell away from her face and Caroline quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She scoffed, shaking her head. She must look like such a hot mess, she thought bitterly.

Nik sat next to her on the bed, but perched at the edge. His body was angled towards her in a rather protective stance.

"How long were you..." she wondered out long, feeling self conscious.

"Only a few minutes" he easily replied. "I was downstairs conversing with my siblings when I heard you."

"Oh" Caroline said, nibbling on her lip, a nervous habit. She felt so embarrassed. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be so loud."

Klaus frowned, giving her a strange look, before getting up and walking over to the fireplace. The bed room was large, and it most certainly wasn't a guest hadn't had a chance to look around before, but she recognised this room to be his room. There was king sized bed, covered in soft dark sheets, a thick fleece blanket, the one she was clutching tightly in her hands. She relaxed her grip, smoothing out the fabric. There was a fireplace and seating area on one side of the room, a door way connecting to what she knew to be his art studio. He had taken her there on her first visit to his home. On the other side of the room there were two door ways, what Caroline only assumed to be a walk in closet and an en suite bath, but she couldn't be sure.

Feeling entirely too awkward lounging in his bed, a bed Rebekah must have put in her as Caroline had fallen asleep on the car ride over... Caroline got up and made her way over to him, her bare feet padding across the plush carpet. He was looking intently at the flames, the only source of lighting in the dark room. She was looking at him. He smiled, after a moment his eyes met her gaze.

"You apologized for having a nightmare" Klaus stated matter of factly.

Caroline's brows puckered in dismay. Then she laughed at the ludicracy of it. Shaking her head, "I take my apology back" she countered, earning a chuckle from him.

"Good" he said, giving her a dimpled smile.

Caroline's heart skipped a beat at the beauty of that smile.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked quietly, motioning to the flames.

_Klaus made a move to flash away, but instantly both Rebekah and Elijah were in his path. The didn't stand a chance at stopping him, but their pathetic effort made him chuckle bitterly. His rage was boiling over, but he knew he would come to regret it if he hurt them seriously. Especially with Rebekah and Caroline's new found friendship... Klaus did not wish to upset Caroline, and surely incapacitating Rebekah would have such an effect._

_"Get out of my way" Klaus snarled. His hands were practically shaking, and he made them into fists by his sides._

_"You can't just kill him!" Rebekah tried to reason._

_"No only can I, but I want to... I will kill anyone who stands in my way" Klaus said, his tone low. "How convenient that you lot can't be killed." His siblings were all too familiar with that tone, it mean't that he was on the brink of control. Rebekah faltered, taking an infinitesimal step back. She knew how especially painful a hybrid bite could be._

_As Klaus charged ahead, Rebekah stumbled back, but Elijah quickly out manoeuvred him, tossing him against a tree trunk. The trunk snapped upon impact, Klaus slamming against the ground. Elijah was obviously a worthy adversary, for a fighter. But Klaus was stronger. Much stronger._

_Klaus growled. He dug his heel into the ground, and pushed off. He slammed his fist against Elijah's chest, sending his big brother flying back. But Before Elijah could make contact with a tree trunk, Klaus flashed behind him and attacked again. Only this time, he didn't anticipate Rebekah's new found bravery. He groaned as she pierced his chest with a thick branch. Before he could react, she pulled it out and struck him with it, sending waves of pain through him as the open wound was damaged further. He fell to his knees, clutching the wound. H__is eyes flashed yellow, specks of gold tingeing his irises._

_"This is not what Caroline would want!" Rebekah screamed, panic shown clearly in her eyes. She tore off another branch and took a defensive stance._

_"You attacking her mate?" Klaus choked out, spiting out blood as the wound quickly healed. Shaking his head, he got to his feet._

_"Killing Tyler" Rebekah explained. "Caroline's not going to appreciate you fighting her battles for her" Rebekah hastily continued. "You can't just march into the Lockwood mansion and slaughter him infront of his family and his pack. Caroline's pack."_

_Klaus pretended to listen for a moment, before he made his way over to a low branch. He plucked it off and carefully proceeded to take the leaves off._

_Elijah took the branches from Rebekah's hands and quickly did the same. Rebekah eyed them both, her eyes filling with tears._

_"You'll embarrass her!" Rebekah screeched, as though it were her last resort._

_Klaus shrugged. "I'll just compel the boy to tell the truth and he shall be condemned by his own" Klaus stated diplomatically. "Is that what you wanted to hear?" he cocked a brow, curious._

_Shaking her head, "the wolves are on vervain. They can't be compelled, and even so, I'd think Tyler prepared for such a possibility."_

_"Then what would you have me do Rebekah?" Klaus shouted angrily. His control having snapped. "Am I supposed to allow the one who caused her such suffering to simply go free?" he roared, throwing the make shift stake away. _

_"I never said that."_

_"We would never ask that of you."_

_Rebekah and Elijah spoke simultaneously. _

_Taking a deep breath, Rebekah made a move towards Klaus. The look her gave her, stopped her short. "I just think you should talk to her first Nik" Rebekah said softly. "Caroline thinks that everyone thinks she's crazy... if you take matters into your own hands, you'll be undermining her infront of everybody. You'll be taking power away from her... you need to let her do this her way. She's never going to forgive you if you..." Rebekah stopped. Her voice had taken a pleading edge._

_The way Rebekah had taken Caroline's feelings into account angered him further._

_He flashed over to her, and in one smooth move he snapped her neck. He watched as her limb body fell to the ground. He sighed heavily, before making his way towards the mansion. After a moment, he heard Elijah sigh and pick Rebekah up, before wordlessly following._

"I was very angry" Klaus stated.

He felt this tension slowly creeping upon her. It weighed heavily. "Nik..." Caroline started, her voice filled with panic, "please tell me you didn't..."

"I didn't kill him" Klaus replied, giving her a small smile. "I haven't left at all since I found out" he stated, pleased when the tension left her.

Caroline reciprocated his smile. "Thanks" she said honestly. With a heavy sigh, "I have enough problems as it is without you inadvertently starting a war" she said, her tone nonchalant. But he could tell how heavy her burden truly was. Rebekah had been right... killing the Lockwood boy would have created more problems for Caroline and that's the last thing Klaus wanted. Klaus wanted to be of service to her... to please her. It did not go unnoticed how easily he lost control when matters concerned her. He would need to get a handle on that.

"I want to help you" Klaus said sincerely. He was taken aback with the honest fervour in his voice. He looked down shyly. There was something about her that reduced him to a simpering school boy. He had seduced a great number of women, but Caroline... this was not a game. He genuinely wanted to make her happy, and Klaus realised that he hadn't a clue how to do that.

Caroline was so beautiful, especially now, standing in the light of the flames. That thin satin nightgown she wore did little to hide her modesty so he kept his eyes on her face. But her skin was tinged too pink, the memory of her burnt flesh still too raw in his mind. There were dark circles under her eyes, and even her eyes weren't as bright as he remembered them being. She was exhausted. She looked weak. There was an almost irresistible urge to take care of her. Klaus hoped that she decided to stay here... he couldn't bare if she left his side. He needed to be sure of her safety.

Her safety and her happiness. Klaus was sure his life now had purpose.

"Thank you" she said, just as shyly. She nibbled on her bottom lip, and Klaus was caught by the action. "I'm so happy that you believe me" she breathed. "I was beginning to think I was crazy" she easily supplied.

"I will always believe you Caroline" Klaus stated seriously. "My siblings... they have every desire to help as well" he added.

"Rebekah's really nice" Caroline said, "she's like one of my best friends now... which is strange because I've literally known her for about two days. I think she, Bonnie and Elena would get along."

Klaus smirked, knowing his siblings were listening to every single word. Surely Rebekah would be glowing under the attention.

He was never one for idle conversation, but he was extremely pleased that Caroline was so easily conversing with him. It mean't that she was becoming comfortable with him. "Your witch friend is at the hospital in Whitmore" he offered, "and the Gilbert wolf is at home."

"Oh my God! Are they okay?" Caroline asked, panic overwhelming her once again, making him regret his words.

Before he could answer, she groaned, covering her face with her hands. "God! I'm such an emotional wreck" she cried.

Klaus frowned. "Hey, hey hey" he said softly, gently prying her fingers off one by one to look at her face. There were tears on her face, he brushed them away with his thumb. "You've been through an experience that..."

"How many times have you been tortured?" she asked, cutting him off. She sniffed, looking at him expectantly.

Klaus was taken aback by her question. No one had ever asked him that before. "Caroline I..."

"Exactly" she stated, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffed again. "You've been tortured so many times you have to stop and think about it... make a list probably?" She scoffed, rubbing her nose. Her voice was thick with emotion, and Klaus couldn't quite figure out her train of thought.

He must have looked just as a confused, because she gave him a sympathetic look. "I don't want to be an emotional wreck Nik" she said softly, her eyes filling to the brim with tears once again. She scrubbed them away angrily. "Every time I close my eyes I'm back in that cellar, and no matter how hard I try... I'm not in control. I couldn't save Bonnie and Elena. I couldn't save myself" she said, shaking her head.

"Caroline, sweetheart, you can't blame yourself for what happened. You need time. You need to heal."

"No" she stated. "I am not weak" she said fiercely. Klaus could feel the alpha command charging through his body. If he weren't an alpha himself he would have cowered at the power in her voice. Oh no, she most certainly was not weak.

What did it mean for a twenty one year of alpha female to be the Original Hybrid's mate? Klaus smiled, watching as she paced the small space.

Taking a deep breath, "I need... what I need is a plan. I feel like I'm in an isolated bubble where I don't even know how my best friends are doing after being tortured. I haven't addressed my pack... I don't even know what they think about me. I don't know what my dad had gone off to do the night of the accident... why had a curfew been put in place that night? There's witches, vampires and your hybrids all over the place... I'm pretty sure the entire supernatural universe has been made aware that I'm your mate, which means even more witches and vampires and hybrids are going to come... maybe even some werewolves too.

Tyler did this. I know he did. He found some way to cover it up and convince those three men to take the blame" she said, her tone calculating. But until we can find a way to prove it... we can't tell anyone" Caroline said, looking at him intently.

Klaus nodded.

"I'm just going to have to pretend like it never happened" she continued. "Well not that it never happened, but I'm going to pretend like it really was a random attack. That way, Tyler's not going to see it coming. I'm glad you didn't threaten him. He wants to undermine me... make it seem like I'm no longer capable of leading. Tyler's always asked me out... he's always wanted to be leader of the pack himself, and he's always thought a way of doing that would be to make me submit to him. But then you showed up..." she said, giving Klaus a wide smile, then she frowned.

"It's not that I don't appreciate you bringing the cavalry to Mystic Falls to find me, but I won't be surprised if my pack is really uneasy right now. I mean, you're the big bad Hybrid that all those stories are about... you're here, and with the snap of your fingers you got an army of witches, vampires and hybrids. Quite frankly my pack is probably scared... scared about me being able to lead them. Scared of..."

"Me controlling them instead" Klaus finished, nodding. Nothing could give him greater joy than being privy to her train of thought... he was sure. The inner workings of her mind was truly marvellous for someone so young, someone quite so inexperienced. It reminded him of the way Elijah's mind worked. There was always a solution to any potential situation. Klaus' mind worked the same, but his methods were more brutal than cunning, Elijah's methods often had far more satisfactory outcomes. "You've been thinking about this for a while" Klaus phrased the question as a statement.

Caroline nodded. "Since the moment you saved me" she confessed. "I knew it was you... you used your hybrid speed to get me out of the cell before the wolfs bane solution could fall on me again. I started trying to figure things out since then... but I..." she hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I didn't anticipate my own mother not believing me. She wouldn't even hear me out" Caroline said, her voice sounding so sad.

"Your mother loves you very much" Klaus stated, wanting very much to comfort her, but not knowing how to. He sensed that Caroline needed space. She felt out of control and therefore she needed to regain some semblance of control again before he could continue to woo her. Quite frankly, he wondered if he had even started to woo her yet.

Caroline scoffed. Her reactions were never what he expected. He gave her a questioning look.

She chewed on her bottom lip as if contemplating what she would say. Then, "what use is love if there's no trust?" she asked rhetorically. She looked at him for a moment, her eyes sparking with some emotion Klaus couldn't put a name to.

"Anyway, as I was saying... I need to find a way to reassure my pack..." she continued...


	10. Chapter 10

"Can you stay in the car?" Caroline asked tentatively, after a few minutes of internal debate. "Please" she tacked on, giving Rebekah an apologetic smile. It wasn't as though Caroline didn't appreciate the Original sister's company. If Rebekah hadn't stepped in to take Caroline around, then she would have had a seriously pissed off Original Hybrid to deal with right now. Not that she needed a chaperone that was obviously mean't to double as a bodyguard. But even so, Caroline just couldn't bear to have a repeat of what happened when she went to visit Bonnie.

"You do understand that I'll have to tell Nik what happened?" Rebekah asked in a somewhat irritated tone. "If you think for one second that there won't be some sort of punishment waiting for me at home if I allow you to..."

"You're not allowing me to do anything" Caroline snapped, becoming the one irritated now at Rebekah's choice of words. "And Nik's not like that" she said, shaking her head.

Rebekah gave her an incredulous look.

_"Miss Sheila, hi" Caroline greeted with a smile, as the woman slowly exited the room, closing the door behind her._

_"The demon is not welcome here" Miss Sheila stated, motioning to Rebekah off handedly. "I would have expected you to know as much Caroline" she said in a disapproving tone, not reciprocating Caroline's smile._

_Caroline frowned. She was taken aback by the coldness in Miss Sheila's voice. She was used to Bonnie's grandmother's bluntness, but her plain dislike and intolerance of Rebekah's presence threw Caroline off a bit. Caroline felt as though Miss Sheila wasn't any more welcoming of her presence either. Caroline felt Rebekah tense beside her, but that was the only reaction the Original gave to the witch's harsh words. Miss Sheila didn't know Rebekah from eve, and the Originals had been the ones to save her, Bonnie and Elena. Shouldn't Bonnie's grandmother be a little grateful at least?_

_"Rebekah's not a demon. She's my friend" Caroline said fiercely, but the hurt clear in her tone. "The Originals saved us. They were the ones who..."_

_But Miss Sheila was shaking her head before Caroline was finished. "The Originals are the reason why Mystic Falls is invested with demons of all kind. Vampires, hybrids... witches who practise dark magic. The powers to be aren't pleased. I've never before experienced such unbalance in my whole life" Miss Sheila said a bit sadly._

_"If the Originals hadn't called all those demons, as you call them, to Mystic Falls" Caroline said heatedly, "then Bonnie, Elena and I probably would have never been found. We'd probably be dead right now."_

_Miss Sheila looked at Caroline, pity shown clear in her eyes. "Go home child. Mystic Falls is not a safe place for you any more. I can't protect you here. All I care about is my grand baby getting better, and until Bonnie can defend herself, I'm not letting anybody get near her. Not even you, but I'll tell her you stopped by."_

Caroline huffed. "Fine" she muttered, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. So maybe she didn't know Nik as well as his siblings, but what could Rebekah possibly have mean't when she said that there would be some sort of punishment waiting for her at home? Rebekah made Nik sound like a slave driver. Geezz... so what if Nik was a tad bit over protective? Caroline was used to the over bearing male domineering attitude from her dad. Speaking of her loving father...

Caroline sighed heavily, studying Rebekah intently. Nik had given them his R8 to drive and Rebekah had looked like a kid whose parents bought her a candy store, when she took the keys from him. Rebekah looked young, despite her thousand years of immortality. Caroline was sure that Rebekah was turned at either her age or even younger.

"Look, I'm pretty sure word has gotten around about me accusing Tyler of being the one responsible for this whole mess. In fact, I'm sure he's spreading rumours that I've gone bat shit crazy" Caroline explained, shaking her head. "My point is, Miss Sheila and Bonnie are witches. They don't understand the concept of pack loyalty, and quite frankly, I understand why Miss Sheila would want to keep Bonnie away, but it isn't like that with Elena and her parents. They've been loyal to my father and now they're loyal to me. The dynamic is totally different. They're not going to turn me away. They wouldn't. I'm their alpha. I just..." Caroline hesitated, not knowing how to say what she wanted to say without hurting Rebekah's feelings.

"Just spit it out" Rebekah snapped, clearly annoyed by the entire conversation. Caroline could feel her staring daggers ahead at the road, and knew it was mean't for her.

"I think the wolves might think there's some undue influence involved" Caroline said softly. "Your presence intimidates them. They feel as though we're standing together, against them. What I need is for them to know that I'm still on their side and the only way I can do that is..."

"If I stay in the car" Rebekah finished. She scoffed, shaking her head. "Yes, I was right" she said resolutely, "Nik is going to kill me for at least a century."

"What does that even mean?" Caroline mumbled, dejected. With a sigh, "I'm really happy you're physically here to give me company, but I could really use the support right now, ya know. You're supposed to be my friend" she said, shaking her head.

"I am your friend" Rebekah stated seriously. "One day we'll be sisters" she said, sounding a bit unsure. She gave Caroline a side long glance before keeping her eyes on the road once again.

"Then how could you choose between doing what your brother wants, from doing what your sister wants?" Caroline asked, giving her a pointed look. "I thought it was bros over hoes?"

"Are you implying that my brothers are whores?" Rebekah asked, her brows puckered in dismay.

"Of the male variety" Caroline stated matter of factly.

"Man whores?" Rebekah asked, sounding a bit unsure.

Caroline giggled. "Seriously?" she asked. "You've honestly never heard of that phrase before? It's along the lines of us girls sticking together... not allowing the guys to stand in our way of total world domination" Caroline said, laughing.

Rebekah laughed lightly, shaking her head. "I've always been in the company of my brothers. I'm not particularly familiar with female companionship and all that it involves" she mumbled, clearly feeling awkward after giving her confession.

At that, Caroline sobered. Once again, she wondered if any of the stories she had heard about the Originals were actually true. The stories had made the Originals sound like Gods amongst men. Caroline had thought that girls would be lining up to be the Original sister's best friend forever. But if what Rebekah said was true, and Caroline was sure that Rebekah wasn't lying, then it mean't that Rebekah never had a real friend. In over a thousand years, Rebekah never had a best friend to call up and talk about guys, or go shopping with, or have sleep overs.

"Well you do now" Caroline said, her voice ringing with sincerity. "And what it involves is us not listening to your brother when he's being completely unreasonable. He's your brother, not your father. Nik is sure as hell not my father, so the quicker we get him to understand that he can't just order us around, the better."

"Niklaus has been the way he is for over a thousand years Caroline" Rebekah explained softly. "He's extremely over protective. I'm pretty sure he's at home counting down the seconds till you return to him and he's sure you're safe. He went against his better judgement to let me accompany you instead, trusting that I wouldn't put you in harm's way. If I stay in the car, and he finds out, and trust me, Nik will find out. Then he's going to feel as though we betrayed what little trust he bestowed on me. He going to think I'm incapable and incompetent, and he's never going to let us go out alone together.

It isn't as simple as letting him have his way. Nik has protected my siblings and I for over a thousand years, and now... you're one of us. You're just going to have to accept..."

"No" Caroline said, cutting her off. "I trust him. I really do, but trust works both ways. This isn't going to work unless he trusts me too. If I say that I'll be safe, that the Gilbert's won't hurt me, then I expect him to believe me. I expect you to believe me. I shouldn't have to justify every single decision I make" she scoffed. "How I am supposed to convince my pack that I'm capable of leading them, if I can't even visit my best friend... Am I really that useless? Do I honestly look like some fragile little bird who got it's wings clipped? Because I'm really started to feel like..."

"Fine" Rebekah stated, putting the car to a stop. They had arrived at the Gilbert residence.

There was a beat of silence.

"What?" Caroline asked, disbelieving.

"You have fifteen minutes before I come in and drag you out by your hair" Rebekah ground out through clenched teeth.

Caroline was so ecstatic that she completely ignored Rebekah's threat. "Thank you thank you thank you! You're the best Bekah!" she said, as she scrambled out of the car.

* * *

"She sounds... normal" Elena said, laughing, but her tone was clearly disbelieving. "They sure don't seem like a bunch of psychotic serial killers, the way you describe them.

"I'm pretty sure they all have a super high kill list, but she is" Caroline agreed, nodding. "I can't wait for you and Bon to meet her."

"Did Bonnie's grams really say that though?" Elena asked curiously.

"Yeah" Caroline said a bit sadly, "she's pretty anti vampire, hybrid and witches too, I guess." Caroline shrugged.

"I can't believe she would act like that with you" Elena said, shaking her head. "My mom said that when she and your mom went to visit Bonnie, Miss Sheila didn't allow them to see her either. But I just thought..."

"Oh" Caroline said. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I didn't know my mom went to visit Bon."

"You were probably still sleeping" Elena stated off handedly. "Your mom picked my mom up before eight this morning. They had to get back in time for the council meeting at nine. How was that by the way?"

Caroline frowned. "I didn't know there was a council meeting."

At Elena's confused expression, Caroline continued. "Nobody told me anything about a council meeting."

"What? How is that even possible? The meeting was about you" Elena said, perplexed. "You're the new alpha. They can't just up and have a meeting without even telling you. There's not supposed to be a meeting at all without your permission. What the hell is going on?" Elena asked, worriedly. She tried to sit up. It was clear that she was quickly getting worked up.

"Lena..." Caroline started, trying to get her to lie back down.

"I think it's time for you to leave" a soft, but firm voice said.

Elena looked up and frowned. Caroline turned around, and Mr. Gilbert was standing by the doorway.

"Grayson" Mrs. Gilbert chided.

"Why does Caroline have to leave? She just got here" Elena ground out angrily.

"Elena you need to rest" Mr. Gilbert said, giving her daughter a small smile, a frown marring his features. Then he turned to look at Caroline. "I won't ask you again, Caroline. You should go home."

Caroline swallowed down her emotion, and got off Elena's bed. It was the second time for the day that she was basically being kicked out. It hurt.

Elena's hand automatically shot out to grab her wrist. "Besides for being my best friend, Caroline is the alpha of our pack. Something you've apparently forgotten. She obviously respects you a lot, but you're not going to talk to her like that dad.

Mom, can you please?" Elena pleaded.

With a sigh, "Caroline's position as alpha of our pack is no longer certain" Mrs. Gilbert said, giving her daughter an apologetic look.

"Miranda" Mr. Gilbert said harshly.

"The girls don't know what's going on and this level of stress is not good for Elena" Mrs. Gilbert said just as harshly. Taking a deep breath, "Caroline you need to go home and talk to your parents about this."

Caroline nodded, tugging her hand free of Elena's grip.

"Care..." Elena said, worriedly.

"It's fine Lena. Your parents are right... I just need to go sort this out" Caroline said, leaning in to give Elena a kiss on her hair. "I'm glad your getting better, and I'm really sorry... again... I..."

"None of this is your fault, okay? None of this" Elena stated fiercely, glaring at her parents. "As soon as I can stand without toppling over, I'll see you. I'll get out of here the first chance I get."

"Elena Gilbert" Mrs. Gilbert said, outraged.

Elena scoffed, tears filling her eyes.

Caroline looked away, her vision becoming blurry. She kept her eyes down as she quickly made her way out, trying to ignore the Gilbert's arguing.

* * *

"So Nik called, like I said he would, less than five minutes after you disappeared inside" Rebekah started, as Caroline approached the car. "Apparently he has a couple hybrid minions following us... so...

Caroline?"

At this point tears were streaming down her face faster than she could scrub them away with the back of her hand. Caroline sniffed, slamming the door shut as she got inside.

"Dammit Caroline, what the bloody hell happened?" Rebekah asked, noticing Caroline's distress.

"Can you take me home?" Caroline asked, her voice sounding weak and broken even to her own ears.

"What did they do to you?" Rebekah asked worriedly, but she started the car.

"They kicked me out. Can you please just take me home?" Caroline asked, buckling her seatbelt as Rebekah reversed down the driveway.

"Of course, but you need to calm down a bit. Nik is going to be furious if he sees you crying..."

"What?" Caroline asked, confused. Then she realised, "no, not your house. My house."

"Oh. Right. Yes. Of course you mean't your house" Rebekah said. It looked as though she were mentally berating herself. "Do you mind telling me what happened in there? I wasn't able to listen in with Nik shouting..."

"Rebekah I get that Nik's angry and I mean no offence, but I really don't care okay" Caroline said bitterly. "I don't think I'm leader of the pack any more... there was a council meeting and now I... I just really need to talk to my parents and figure out what the hell is really going on. How could they do this to me?" she cried, running her hand through her hair in frustration. Caroline sniffed, rubbing her nose in a very unladylike manner.

Rebekah stayed silent. She looked a bit lost. Then, with a sigh, "I really think you should calm down a bit, call Nik and the both of you will figure this out together."

"I know you mean well, but quite frankly this has nothing to do with him, or you for that matter" Caroline said, shaking her head. "I should't have come here with you. I shouldn't have spent the night at your house. I should have stayed at home and dealt with everything instead of running away. Now look at the situation I've found myself in... I've lost my pack."

"I know you think I know nothing about pack dynamics, but trust me when I tell you that your parents or the other council members can't simply demote you. When you became leader of the pack, all the pack members swore fealty to you..."

"No they didn't" Caroline said softly, as realisation dawned on her. "My father announced that he was stepping down and I would take his place, at my birthday party. I never actually held a meeting with the entire pack to confirm my status. Nik showed up, then the accident happened... I didn't get a chance to address my pack yet, and now, it doesn't even matter."

What Caroline's father had done was an informal procedure. The formal procedure to instate a new leader of the pack was supposed to take place within the first week of succession. The entire pack was supposed to meet at the site in the woods where they turned every full moon, get down on their knees and pledge loyalty to their new pack leader. That hadn't happened. Caroline's dad could easily... change his mind. The pack was only loyal to her because her father said so. But if Bill Forbes decided to become leader of the pack once more, Caroline would lose her place. It was as simple as that.

What hurt the most was the fact that her parents didn't even tell her. Caroline found about the meetings from Elena, who was effectively bed ridden. Did everyone know except her? Caroline didn't know if to be angry or ashamed.

"Can you just drop me off?" Caroline asked softly. "Tell Nik I'll call him later okay?"

Rebekah frowned, but gave no reply.

Caroline hoped that mean't her acquiescence.

* * *

As Caroline opened the door and walked inside, she was met with three guards. As they stood, blocking her path, she had never felt more like a stranger in her own home before.

"I'm here to speak with my parents" Caroline said, hoping the guards would get out of the way. She could hear her parents in her father's study at the far left of the house, but she couldn't quite understand what they were saying. When the guards made no move, she tried again, "can you please tell my mom I'm here, and I'd like to speak with her and dad?"

At that one of the guards bowed slightly, before making his way to the study.

Caroline sighed, grateful when not a minute later the guard returned, ushering her further inside. "Thanks" she mumbled dejectedly.

One of the guards opened the door and motioning that she could enter. Caroline did so, and before she could take a breath, her mom was holding onto her tightly, in a warm embrace. "I'm so sorry about that sweetheart, if I'd known you were coming I would have greeted you at the door."

Caroline smiled, returning her mother's hug. It felt so good to be in the safety of her mother's arms. Her own mother who didn't believe her, the bitter thought entered her mind.

"Can we talk?" Caroline asked softly, looking between her mother and father.

They exchanged a look, before Liz took Caroline' hand and led her to the couch. Bill remained standing, looking on curiously.

"Sheila called" Liz started, "Miranda as well. I'm glad you got to see Elena. She's doing well... healing quite quickly, considering..." Liz smiled sadly, gently tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. Liz looked tired. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin looked frail. Caroline's mother's beauty had diminished somewhat, in a single day. "How are you?" Liz asked. "Have they been treating you well? You look beautiful as always" Liz said, her voice wavering slightly.

"I'm fine mom" Caroline reassured her. "Rebekah and I are about the same size. I'm probably two jeans sizes bigger. I think I should pack some clothes and a few of my things to take over there. I can't keep borrowing her stuff."

"You're not staying" Bill was the one who spoke, and his question sounded too much like a statement of fact.

Seeing her mother so emotional, made Caroline's resolve shaken. But the tone in which Bill used, made Caroline sit up a bit straighter. "I can't stay here" Caroline stated.

Liz whimpered, and Caroline didn't dare look at her mother.

"This is your home" Bill stated, matter of factly, as if reminding her.

"This was my home" Caroline said, a hint of accusation in her voice, "before you changed your mind about me being worthy of leading your precious pack."

"You don't understand" Bill said, shaking his head. He sounded clearly annoyed by her insinuation.

"What was the council meeting about this morning? Why didn't you tell me?" Caroline fired at him.

"Do you really want to do this now?" Bill asked, giving Liz a fleeting glance. Caroline could tell that he was worried about hurting Liz's feelings, but Caroline couldn't bear to put this conversation off any longer.

"Yes, I want to do this now" Caroline shot back. "I want to know why there had been a curfew that night. I want to know why you weren't home the night of the accident. I want to know why you would go behind my back..."

"Caroline..." he tried interrupting her.

"I want to know why my own mother doesn't believe me. Why my father, who stood up there and announced how proud he was of me, how much faith he had in my ability to lead, how much he loved me... would..." Caroline cried, angry tear blurred her vision. She hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand. "I want to know what I did to deserve being punished."

Bill's expression dropped. "Do you think that's what I'm doing?" he asked, sounding defeated. "Punishing you?" he asked, as though he couldn't fathom how she came to such a conclusion.

"Caroline, I..." he started, and the look he gave her was so pitying that Caroline suddenly became irritated.

"Don't give me some bullshit excuse okay" she ground out angrily. "I want to know the truth!" she shouted.

"Caroline, do not speak to me like that. I am still your father" Bill stated seriously. Then he turned to Liz, "my love, can you give us a moment?"

"Bill" Liz breathed. She hesitated for a moment, before getting up and making her way out.

Caroline scoffed.

"You want to know the truth?" Bill asked, and Caroline almost flinched because of what shown in his eyes. "The truth is, I would have rather you have no mate, than that Hybrid who showed up. The Original Hybrid being your mate completely extinguished all credibility of you leading our pack. It was a romantic notion at first, until the members of the council began to understand the ramifications of what it would mean when you submitted to him. You'd no longer be the leader of our pack Caroline. The Hybrid would be. There are not too many werewolves keen on being turned into sired Hybrids."

"Nik and I talked about this" Caroline defended. "He has no interest in the pack. Nik has his own pack... he has his own Hybrids."

"So your mate decided that he would allow you to keep your pack without turning them into Hybrids. How chivalrous of him" Bill drawled. "What if he changes his mind?"

"Nik wouldn't..." she said, shaking her head.

"But what if he does? What if you two get into a disagreement at some point, and he decides to turn them for sport? How could you possibly attempt to protect your pack from him?" Bill asked seriously.

"He wouldn't. Nik... he" Caroline stuttered. "I... I trust him."

"You trust him" Bill said, incredulously. "You've known him for two seconds."

"Yes. I do. He's my mate" Caroline said fiercely. "You trust mom, don't you? How many seconds did it take before you trusted her?"

Bill narrowed his eyes, and Caroline knew she had stepped off bounds. "I'm sorry" she amended.

There was a beat of silence, before Bill continued. "Then in the midst of what was already a tense situation, you decide it was a good idea to accuse Tyler Lockwood of being responsible for what happened to you, Bonnie and Elena."

"Because he is!" Caroline shouted, letting her emotions get the best of her.

Bill continued as if Caroline hadn't spoken. "In a house full of witnesses, infront of Tyler's mother" Bill said, shaking his head. "The Lockwood's are no longer members of our pack Caroline."

"What?" Caroline asked, disbelieving. Caroline never would have guessed...

Bill nodded. "Got your attention now, didn't I?"

He sighed heavily, before making his way over to her. He sat where her mother had previously been sitting, right next to her on the couch. "When the Lockwood's left, they took their original pack members with them, and members of our pack threatened to leave as well..." Bill explained. "That's why I had those meetings without informing you. The pack doesn't trust you right now baby girl. They think you're under the Hybrid's influence. It's as simple as that.

The only way I could have prevented them from leaving, was to reassure them that I was still in charge. That they were being led by a Forbes, not a Mikaelson. I'm sorry, but that's just the way a pack works. If I hadn't held that meeting this morning, or if I had invited you to come, the pack wouldn't have believed a word I said."

"So you make it look as though you're against me?" Caroline asked, trying to understand what her father had just said.

"Not against you" Bill said, shaking his head. "Never against you. You're my daughter Caroline. I love you."

"Then..." Caroline wondered.

"Most of the werewolves are genuinely worried about you. They think you're still weak from the attack. They think you're being pressured by the Originals" Bill answered. "They think you're not ready... you've got too much on your plate to deal with, no experience. Now that the Lockwood's are a threat, the pack needs stability.

Stability I can give them, by taking up leadership of the pack until you're able."

"But won't Nik still be a problem? Even after I've gone through the requisite healing time, Nik is always going to be my mate dad... I..." Caroline said, getting a bit frustrated.

"Look, I know the situation is far less than ideal, but without a threat hanging in the air, and without the stress, the pack would be open to the idea of the Hybrid being your mate..."

"But you just said..."

"Mystic Falls is full of vampires and hybrids, witches... our wolves are hanging out with the wolves from your mate's pack. Go to the Mystic Grill... all the young kids are hanging out and having a good time. It's been days Caroline... give it a few weeks. There's a reason why the Lockwood's left with their pack. They're not strong here. Mystic Falls is Forbes' territory. As soon as the werewolves from our pack start feeling secure again, we can start re introducing the idea of you succeeding me as leader."

"You're saying that I have to wait" Caroline sighed. "That the pack doesn't hate me. They just don't trust me to lead them if the Lockwood's decide to attack."

Bill nodded. "Take some time out Carebear" Bill said, giving his daughter a fond smile. "The last time, I just threw you in, but this time... this time you get a chance to think about what it means to be a leader, and decide on what type of leader you want to be. You need to understand what it means to have a mate. You'll need to be able to balance those two responsibilities..."

"I..." Caroline chuckled without humour. She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not ready" she realised. "A good leader would have secured the allegiance of their pack, anticipated their pack's fears and reassured them. Then become better acquainted with their mate. A good leader sure as hell would not have thrown out accusations without a hint of proof, about a potential threat's son" Caroline said, sounding defeated.

"I did everything wrong dad" Caroline said, throwing her hand up in frustration. "I allowed my emotions to guide me. When I should have used my head instead. I... I'm not ready" she confessed, the honest realisation stopped her short. She felt like a such a silly little girl.

"Oh my darling girl" Bill said, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him. Caroline buried her head against his shoulder. "You were inexperienced, that's all. There's nothing wrong with feeling what you feel, but you have to weigh what you think is right with what's best for your pack. You know, sometimes you're going to have to choose, and those choices might not be easy to make. But the ability to do so... that's what makes a good leader."

"Thanks dad" Caroline nodded, smiling against him.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that, with his arm slung across her shoulder, his cheek resting against her hair, but soon the sun started to set, and Caroline knew it was time to go. So she got up, kissed his cheek and with a deep feeling of gratitude, Caroline took her leave.

She declined a ride to the Mikaelson's. As she walked down the long driveway, every single step felt like freedom. Caroline toed her heels off, one by one, before breaking into a run. As the sun fully set and darkness began to fill the night sky, the houses began to thin, with the thick forest up ahead.

Caroline decided to do something she had never willingly done before.

With one look at the fraction of a moon peeking out, Caroline started to turn.


	11. Chapter 11

Klaus' teeth clenched as he tried to combat the sudden assault on his mind. He gripped his head, tugging his hair roughly. He groaned, falling to his knees, as wave after wave of pain crippled his senses. "Caroline," Klaus breathed, images of her blonde hair and blue eyes flashing across his mind.

"Nik," Rebekah's voice reverberated in his mind, her tone filled with concern.

Klaus looked up. Through his blurred vision he could see a woman's worried expression. Her body leaned towards him in a protective stance, though she was safely a few feet away. "Bekah," he cried out, vaguely recognising her, his voice contrasting to what it had been mere minutes ago when he was shouting at her. He had been berating her for allowing Caroline to visit her parents' home alone. He had made her cry. But now her tears were gone and she was looking at him with the single minded intent of helping him any way she could.

"Nik, what's wrong? Tell me what's happening," Rebekah asked, approaching him slowly, as one would a wounded animal.

Klaus could feel the black veins undulate under his eyes. His double fangs coming out, as his bones began to shift. _Oh no_. "Bekah," he breathed, trying in vain to prevent the inevitable from happening. An almost irresistible urge to be with _her_ filling him. Klaus moved back, trying to keep the distance between them. But in an instant he unintentionally flashed across the room, his back hitting the antique book shelf that lined the wall. Books tumbled down all around him, as the bones in his body shifted once more.

Images of his mate's blonde hair filled his mind. From rich cornflour yellow, her hair quickly turned the colour of a deep dove grey, reflecting a silvery white under the moonlight. She was ethereal. She was _his._

The woman who stood before him was but a blur, all recognition of who she was and what she mean't to him but a fleeting concept, yet he had the distinct notion that she shouldn't be harmed. "Run!" he snarled, his body twisting at an odd angle. An involuntary growl escaped. He closed his eyes, shaking his head, trying to summon some semblance of self control long enough for the woman to get safely away.

When he opened his eyes again and looked at her, there was something that made the woman stop suddenly, taking an automatic step back. Klaus could smell her fear. He could almost feel the blood flowing through her veins. Vampire. Her expression changed, panic taking over her worried expression.

"Elijah!" she screamed, before flashing out of the room.

In less than a second, Klaus' world shifted.

* * *

**Jetta - I'd Love to Change the World (Matstubs Remix)**

The sound of her paws hitting the ground reverberated in her mind. The faster and farther into the forest she ran, the air became cleaner, fresher. Her lungs working to enjoy as much of it as she could.

Caroline shouldn't be here. She was breaking curfew. She knew she shouldn't be in this form. It was a dangerous thing to do... turning at will. No one knew what she was truly capable of. She liked it that way... she liked keeping secrets.

They all underestimated her. They all thought she was weak.

_"They think you're not ready... you've got too much on your plate to deal with, no experience," _her father had said. Only Bill had been thrown into the role of leader of the pack when Liz had been two months pregnant. He too had no experience, with a wife and unborn child. No new leader ever had any experience, Caroline realised much too late. She was supposed to learn for her mistakes, not be punished before she even made any.

_"The pack doesn't trust you right now baby girl. They think you're under the Hybrid's influence. It's as simple as that," _Bill had said. The then new pack leader's mate was known to be highly opinionated and critical in her thinking. Liz had made a name for herself by challenging her husband's ideas, and producing alternative ways of dealing with things. Over time, instead of waving her off as Bill's wayward wife, the Council began welcoming her to the meetings and valuing what she had to say.

The blood pumping through Caroline's veins, the sound of her heart beating echoed in her mind. Her heightened senses gave her a sense of superiority. She enjoyed being like this... taking this form. It offered her mind clarity, tranquillity, a chance to really... think.

The excuses that Bill had given for undermining Caroline's new found authority, and taking her power away, was entirely superficial. With thoughts weighing heavily on her mind, she had actually thought that he was doing her a favour. But the truth was... Bill didn't think she was ready. It didn't matter what the pack said. Not really. This wasn't a democracy. This was a dictatorship. The pack would believe whatever Bill and Liz convinced them to believe.

Caroline felt betrayed. By her own parents...

She dug her paws into the earth and widened her leaps as she raced across the dense forest, her vision blurring green in the darkness. Yet she could pick out every single leaf, twig, branch, if she focused on seeing. She would hear the rats scurrying along, the owls perching on the upper branches, deer huddled together about a mile out, if she listened.

Every full moon when the others would be forced to turn, Caroline felt nothing but a slight pull. She was not a servant to the moon like the others were. She realised at a young age that she was not bound by anything. She had always had a choice. She chose to turn, every full moon, despite the excruciating pain, out of solidarity with the others.

Caroline didn't tell a single soul. Fearful that they would think her even more of an anomaly than she already was. What was a werewolf that didn't actually have to turn into a werewolf? Was she a werewolf at all? Of course she was... she was just _different. _Apparently being different didn't quite sit well with her parents and pack members. Would they condemn her the same way they condemned hybrids, if they found out? They were already condemning her for having a hybrid mate... something she had no control over at all.

As she grew older, the pain itself became but a vague notion. Something she understood she had to endure in order for the transformation to take place. But as the years went by, hours turned to mere minutes. Minutes turned into less than two. And now... in a matter of a few seconds, Caroline had turned without any pain at all. She guessed that it had a lot to do with her wanting to turn. It was her will to turn into her werewolf form... no one else's.

She was such a fool. This wasn't about her. This was about _him. _

Caroline was being punished for who he was... what he could do.

If only they knew what she could do...

Caroline ears pricked forward, as she slowed to a stop. A distant thumping sound becoming increasing louder. It was the sound of paws stamping the earth, much like hers were seconds ago. She stood hesitating, trying to focus on a scent, a familiar pattern of running... anything that would give her the slightest inclination of who was quickly making their way to her.

Hybrid. It must be a hybrid. Only a hybrid would be able to turn at will.

Either Nik had sent one of his hybrids after her, and this hybrid knew who she was, or this hybrid was merely out on a hunt.

She was strong. Caroline had confidence in her strength and fighting abilities. But that was solely based on her experience with werewolves. Challenging a hybrid was not something werewolves or vampires were brave enough to do. Winning a fight against a hybrid was entirely unprecedented.

She made the decision to quash her fight instinct and turned to flee. She would head over to the Mikaelson's to borrow some clothes from Rebekah, then make her way down to the cellars. It was high time she visited those men who kidnapped and tortured her, Elena and Bonnie. But before she could make a move to get away, in an instant, she was knocked off her feet and threw several feet away, her torso slamming against a tree. Her jaw hitting a boulder as her body fell.

Caroline whined, dragging herself up. Her jaw hurt and her side was bruised, but she shook it off, taking a stand. She focused on the wolf before her.

He was twice her size. His coat, an immaculate dark chocolate brown fur that she a distinct notion to touch. She wanted to stick her nose under his neck and nuzzle up against him. _Oh my..._

His stance was not defensive at all. Instead, he was regarding her with curiosity, studying her intently. He made a move towards her and Caroline automatically moved back. She tripped over the boulder, falling down and hitting the side of her head. She whimpered, both out of pain and embarrassment.

The other wolf stopped, his ears flattening as he bowed his head slightly. He whined lowly, never taking his sad off hers.

His eyes.

Caroline remembered those eyes. Sea blue green, shown in the moonlight, they glittered like precious stones. Eyes the depths of which she could drown in.

_His _eyes.

Nik.

* * *

"Are you stark raving mad!" Rebekah practically screeched. "You didn't see what I saw Elijah! He was turning into his wolf form and he looked anything but pleased by that little fact. We shouldn't be going after him... we should be going after that Bennett hag who has obviously..."

"Miss Sheila had nothing to do with this," Elijah said patiently. "And I beseech you to not refer to her in such a ill manner," he chided. He opened Rebekah's lingerie draw and delicately selected two of what he would perceive to be the most modest pieces, before stuffing them in a duffel bag. Next, he selected a skirt and a sweather out of Rebekah's closet, while she paced the area in the hallway, apparently not even noticing him in her room. Elijah had already packed jeans, a dark grey Henley and boots for his brother.

"How can you be so sure?" Rebekah challenged. "You and I both know that Nik doesn't turn at will. Considering that there isn't a full moon, what other reason..."

"I expect that this has something to do with Miss Forbes," Elijah offered, passing Rebekah by and making his way down the stairs.

Rebekah frowned, hastily following after him. "Caroline?" she asked, confused. Then her confusion turned into irritation. "Did you not hear me?" she asked, annoyed. "There isn't a full moon tonight. How could Caroline possibly be the cause of Nik turning into a werewolf? Caroline's probably safely at home with her parents. Or have you forgotten about the curfew too?"

Elijah sighed heavily, stopping at the threshold of the main entry. He easily scanned the grounds, noting a few hybrids that were guarding the perimeter, before taking a step back inside the house and closing the front door. He turned around to look at Rebekah who was regarding him expectantly.

"The first time Niklaus was made aware of his mate's existence, was the first time she turned into a werewolf a decade ago" Elijah stated.

Rebekah scoffed. "I know," she drawled. "Caroline turned into a puppy on her 11th birthday and a legend was born, so to speak," she muttered sarcastically. "Everyone in the supernatural universe knows that by now."

"How then sister, did Niklaus not know the alpha female was his mate?" Elijah asked pointedly.

Rebekah's brows puckered, as if she were confused by the question. "He couldn't," Rebekah answered. "He had no way of knowing that Caroline was his mate. He just knew that the wolf who turned was his mate. I mean, there was no way for him to know that Caroline was that wolf," she explained, as if trying to figure it out herself. Then she realised, "but how?" she wondered out loud, giving him a questioning look.

"Niklaus turned that night. When his mate turned, he was forced to turn as well," Elijah explained softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Rebekah gasped, as understanding of what this mean't dawned on her. Elijah had explained to her and Kol what the ancient markings on the wall had mean't, but she couldn't quite understand how Caroline could possibly be Nik's weakness. Nik didn't have a weakness. He couldn't be killed... ever. Not even the white oak could work on him. But now... this mean't...

"He won't hurt her," Rebekah said fiercely. "He would never hurt her," she said, as if willing it to be so. "No matter how angry he is at her for having this power over him, he would never hurt her."

"Besides, he couldn't hurt her even if he wanted to," she half asked, half stated. "_He shall be bound to her, but she shall not be bound to him..."_ Rebekah recited, looking at Elijah, worry marring her features.

"Oh sweet sister," Elijah said, almost pityingly. "We would dare not to under estimate what Niklaus is capable of, especially in his wolf form" he said, before opening the front door and flashing away towards the direction of the forest.

Rebekah hesitated for a moment, before following in his wake.

* * *

**Rihanna - Diamonds (Flaxo Stadium Remix)**

Caroline growled lowly, nuzzling under his ear again. He was so warm. His fur coat so thick. His scent overwhelmed her senses and she had a strong need to be closer to him. While he just lied there, his eyes closed, but a somewhat amused expression on his face. He knew who she was, but had made no move towards her after she had stumbled back and hurt herself.

After a while, he lied flat on his belly. Caroline had been the one to approach him. He had closed his eyes, when she rubbed her nose against his, and he had kept his eyes closed since. Every once in a while he would make a contented sound, and she preened under the little attention he gave her.

Once more she tried to bury her head under his neck, but she couldn't make him budge. She wanted to curl up against his side and encase herself in his warmth, but he wasn't helping at all. Her soft growls of frustration turned into a whimper. As soon as the sound escaped her, Nik jumped up and began circling her, his eyes scanning every single inch of her. When he was done with his assessment, he bent his head down to meet her eye level. His nose touched hers, a low rumble came from deep within his chest.

Caroline wanted to hold him. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to be held by him... to be touched by him. She was about to turn back into her human form, when the sound of rustling caught her attention.

In an instant, Nik's expression changed. His eyes flashed yellow, almost gold. His ears pricked at attention, his double fangs bared as he stood to his full height, his body shielding hers. Caroline faltered, her ears flattening as the energy radiating off him almost forcing her to bow down to him in submission. But she forced herself to remain standing firmly on her four feet. She dug her paws into the ground and concentrated her attention to the oncoming assault.

Vampire.

Two.

Two vampires.

As they approached, they slowed to a human pace. Caroline concentrated in the darkness, making out the figures of a man. He was dressed in a suit, holding a duffel bag. Then a young woman, tentatively following.

Nik snarled. A clear warning delivered, as the man and woman stopped suddenly.

Caroline recognised the woman. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair in a deep side part. One side was braided. Caroline remembered braiding this woman's hair. She remembered this woman combing her hair... the scent of strawberries and sunshine filled the air. Rebekah.

Rebekah.

The man was Elijah.

What was in the bag he was holding?

Caroline relaxed. She made a move towards them, but Nik growled, a clear warning to her that she was not to go near what he perceived to be a threat. If only there was some way she could convey to him that these two vampires were his siblings. How did he not recognise them? After hundreds of years of practise, he should be familiar with at least his own siblings scents when he was in his wolf form.

She whimpered, looking at Rebekah. Rebekah's eyes found hers and Rebekah gave her a small smile. She motioned to Elijah and Elijah nodded.

"Niklaus," Elijah said calmly. "It is I, your brother... your blood," Elijah explained, dropping the bag to the ground and taking a step forward.

Nik growled, his double fangs fully exposed, as he took a step forward as well, challengingly.

Caroline whimpered again, trying to get Nik's attention, but quickly realised what an adverse effect it was having when Nik took another step towards Elijah. Nik thought Caroline was afraid... he was protecting his mate, trying to reassure her that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her.

Caroline looked at Rebekah again, and Rebekah nodded.

"Distract him," she commanded, grabbing the duffel bag off the ground.

Elijah frowned. "What?" he muttered, sounding incredulous.

"He'll heal you later. Just... just get him the hell away from her," Rebekah said, before turning around and running away at vampire speed.

Elijah sighed. "I apologise, little brother," he mumbled before attacking at full Original vampire speed. Nik was knocked back for seconds, before his teeth sunk into Elijah's shoulders. Elijah groaned out in pain, before digging his fingers into Nik's neck and throwing him off. They were upon each other again. It all became a blur, as Caroline quickly ran the way Rebekah went.

* * *

"How are you sure that he'll even recognise me?" Caroline asked, as she zipped up the borrowed skirt.

"If he doesn't recognise his own mate, there's no chance of him being able to recognise anyone else in that state he's in," Rebekah said, handing Caroline a sweather which she quickly tugged on.

"I'm just surprised that he doesn't recognise you in his wolf form. Even I was able to pick up on your scent after a little while," Caroline said, looking at Rebekah as she searched through the duffel.

"Let's just say Nik doesn't particularly care for going through the transformation. This has only happened once before," Rebekah explained, before groaning in frustration. She tied the bag closed before giving Caroline an apologetic look. "No shoes," she stated.

Caroline smiled. "It's fine Bekah. I'm grateful for the underwear."

"Yeah," Rebekah said, looking a bit sheepish.

Caroline was about to ask her about it, but Rebekah's head snapped up. Caroline tried to focus her hearing, but she couldn't hear whatever it is that had caught Rebekah's attention.

"Come on," she said, grabbing Caroline's hand. "Lijah's suffering from more than the venom. He wouldn't attack any more than necessary, which means that Nik's delivered some severe blows."

"Elijah," Rebekah called out, her voice clear, echoing in the distance of the still night.

In a matter of a few seconds a big ball of dark brown fur came flying out of the darkness. Nik smashed against two thick tree trunks that were standing together, snapping them like twigs. He fell on his back, but quickly rolled to his feet, shaking his head as he stood tall. His mouth immediately stretched into a snarl.

Another figure stumbled out the darkness. Elijah started to fall, but he grabbed onto a low branch to keep himself upright. Caroline gasped in horror, when the moonlight caught him. Elijah was covered in what must be his own blood. There were open wounds on his left shoulder, neck, right upper arm, where chunks of flesh had been bitten off. His suit jacket gone, his shirt in shreds. There were four deep gashes across his torso, where Nik must have scratched him. But the scariest part weren't the actual injuries Elijah had sustained, but the fact that Elijah wasn't healing.

"So the last time this happened..." Caroline breathed, the question lingering in the air.

"Lijah, Kol, Finn and a wolfs bane and vervain concoction managed to knock him out after seventeen hours of fighting," Rebekah answered softly.

"Oh," Caroline said, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on her.

Elijah coughed up blood. As his hand lost it's grip on the branch, he fell to his knees. Nik was upon him in an instant, his front paws digging into Elijah's chest. Rebekah didn't hesitate before grabbing on to Nik's hind legs and pulling him off. That only seemed to enrage him further as Nik turned his attention to his sister.

He studied her intently. He was not thoughtful, but calculating. Deciding whether to finish Elijah off first and then attend to Rebekah. His decision seemed to have been made when he started to scratch the earth, his double fangs fully bared.

"Nik," Rebekah pleaded, her voice full of panic. "It's me, Rebekah. Your sister. Nik, please."

It was clear there was no recognition that shown in his eyes. He had the single intent to kill.

Making a split second decision, Caroline ran infront of Rebekah.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Rebekah ground out angrily. "We subdue him, you calm him down! The plan did not include you jumping into the affray!" Rebekah shouted, her irritation clear.

Caroline ignored her protests entirely. She had Nik's attention as soon as she entered his line of sight. "Nik," she said, giving him a small smile.

His eyes began to turn from yellow to the beautiful sea blue green colour that she had come to love so much. "It's me," Caroline said, taking a tentative step forward.

He cocked his head to the side, looking at her curiously. His stance was still defensive, but there was something about his eyes that shown so human. He recognised her... he had to.

"You remember me right?" she asked softly, taking another step forward.

In that moment, after regaining some of his strength, Elijah made the mistake of getting to his feet. Nik snarled, his irises tingeing with yellow.

"Hey," Caroline called, trying to regain his attention. "You're safe," she said, nodding. "I'm safe. We're okay."

Nik seemed to actually be listening to her, as though he understood what she was saying.

"Your fur is kind of beautiful," she commented, earning what sounded like a snort. Caroline giggled, taking another step towards him, before kneeling on the ground, several feet away from him. "But I... I want to see you. The real you. I want to... I want to see your handsome face. Your dirty blonde hair, your stubble. I want to... hear your voice."

As she continued speaking, Nik had started to make his way towards her, until he was standing before her. He stood towering above her as she knelt on the ground. She was sure that if she was standing, Nik in his wolf form would have come up to her shoulder. He truly was a powerful creature. Caroline had seen, and was able to remember how every single wolf in her pack looked in their wolf form, and Nik... none of them could compare to Nik. He really was an alpha male.

He leaned his head down, to rub his nose under her ear. He nuzzled her neck, breathed in her scent. Caroline's pores raised. She tried to steady the erratic beating of her heart. She would be lying if she said it wasn't terrifying having his fangs so close to her exposed skin. She tried hard to remind herself that he promised he would never hurt her. She had to believe in him.

Caroline bravely reached up with her right hand to scratch under his ear. The wolf instantly relaxed, resting his head on her shoulder. He made a contented sound, and Caroline smiled, indulging him. It would be so easy to get lost in him, but reality didn't permit it right now. Not with Rebekah standing still, helpless and fearful. Not with Elijah holding on to a branch for dear life, slowly bleeding out. Glancing up, Caroline noticed that Elijah was turning a bit grey. Did that mean he was starting to dessicate?

"Nik," Caroline breathed, resting her cheek against his head. "I need you to turn back," she pleaded. There was something in her voice that he must have heard to make him pull away. He looked at her for a moment, before rubbing his nose against her cheek. Then he started to walk backwards. He was only about two feet away when he started to transition back into his human form.

When Caroline started to see more skin than fur, she closed her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Caroline sat on the vanity stool and gently squeezed the water out of her long locks. She kept an open ear. The house was silent, but for the sound of water drops falling. It was from the shower in Nik's room. His bath was taking much longer than hers had, and Caroline idly wondered if he was trying to wash away the events of the night.

Elijah was resting. Rebekah had gone to get blood bags from the hospital for Elijah to drink when he woke up. Caroline knew that it would have been easy enough for them to drink from a human or two on their way home, but it was her presence that held them back. They didn't want to frighten her, Caroline realised.

Kol was off somewhere. She hadn't asked, though she was curious.

Nik had showed her to his room once more, but Caroline had ignored him completely. She made her way directly to the nearest guest room and closed the door behind her. It wasn't as though she was angry at him, per say. She just needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts. It wouldn't do well to get over emotional and lash out at him. Nik deserved better than her always thinking the worst of him.

She was grateful for the beautiful night gown, robe and panties Rebekah had left on the bed for her. A part of Caroline felt embarrassed, having to borrow everything from Rebekah, including underwear. But there was another part of Caroline that didn't feel bothered in the least. There was a reason why Caroline had stepped in Nik's path in the forest. She couldn't even think about Nik harming Rebekah. Rebekah was her friend. In such a short space of time, Rebekah had become her _sister._

Caroline sighed, resting the towel on her lap. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to untangle the knots. Then she made a deep side part with her fingers, and started to make a fishtail braid. When she was done, she gave a breathless laugh, realising that she didn't even have anything to tie the end of her hair with. She wrapped a few strands around each other, hoping that the damp hair would make a knot. She smiled, noting the end stayed secure.

When she heard the shower finally cut off, Caroline took a deep breath. She got up and methodically put her underwear and night gown on, opting to not wear the robe. Her body felt over heated. It was a regular occurrence after she had turned. Then she padded to the door, slowly opening the door and making her way out. She barely got a step infront of Nik's bedroom door, before he opened it. Wearing only grey sweatpants that hung low on his waist, Nik stepped back, a silent motion for her to enter. She did so silently, making a beeline to his art studio. She found the red overstuffed sofa on the far end and curled up on it.

When she looked up at him, Nik was smiling fondly at her. Caroline blushed, looking down. They had so much to talk about. But when she was with him, there didn't have to be any words. She could almost feel how sorry he was for harming his brother. She knew her unspoken questions were weighing heavily on him.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you before," Caroline started. "I just thought we should get a minute to ourselves to calm down and gather our thoughts first."

"I'm grateful," Nik said, bowing his head slightly. He wore a kind smile, but his eyes showed how exhausted he was.

"I don't know where to start," she said honestly, chuckling. "I mean," she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Why'd you turn Nik? Were you trying to be romantic or something? Because I honestly did have a lot of fun, but if it's at the risk of you hurting people..."

"I have never chosen to turn into my wolf form," Nik stated, matter of factly, cutting her off. He took a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair, before he made his way to the side table where two glasses and a decanter filled with some kind of alcohol was resting. He poured himself a glass and took a sip, walking over to stand by one of his unfinished paintings, his back facing her.

Caroline frowned. She knew that hybrids truly had no reason to turn. Rebekah had said that Nik had only turned once before. But it was the way that Nik had phrased his statement that made Caroline pause. "So you were forced to turn?" she wondered out loud.

When he gave no response, "who?" Caroline asked, getting up and making her way over to him. A unsettling feeling came upon her, dread filling her. Had someone hurt him? She was suddenly angry. How dare someone hurt him. "Tell me who made you turn Nik. No one should have that power over you. We'll find that person and..."

"You," Nik breathed, turning his head to meet her gaze as she stood by his side.

Caroline staggered back, grabbing onto an easel for support. "What?" she breathed, incredulity filling her. What was he saying? No. No. She shook her head.

Nik nodded, giving her a sad smile. "The first time I turned was the first time you turned. When you were eleven," he stated. "The second time I turned, you turned. Tonight."

Shaking her head more roughly. "I turn every single full moon," she stated, hoping that he would give her some alternative explanation for this phenomenon. "If you turn when I turn, then you have been forced to turn every full moon too," she said, her voice sounding somewhat panicked.

Nik merely shrugged, taking another sip of his drink. His eyes left hers as he started to study his painting. "I had to turn the first time you turned. How else would I have been made known of your existence?" he asked rhetorically. "Tonight," he hesitated, as if trying to find a way to explain himself. "Tonight was not a full moon," he explained. "You turned because you wanted to. I assume that's why I was bound to turn as well."

"I always turn because I want to," Caroline said, her voice adamant.

Nik turned to look at her, his expression showed that of surprise, but he quickly schooled his features. He chugged the contents of his glass, before resting it on the side table. After a beat of silence, "please do explain," Nik said politely.

Caroline swallowed down her emotion. She felt something in the air shift. She got the distinct notion that he was pissed, but had a firm reign on his emotions. It seemed as though Nik hadn't been aware of the perks of being an alpha female. She guessed that he was not the type of man who liked being the one who was less informed, in any given situation.

"Don't get mad, Nik," she heard herself saying softly, before her brain could catch up with the words coming out of her mouth.

He frowned, seemingly having instantly calmed.

"I didn't lie to you, and I haven't purposely hidden anything from you. You have no right to be upset with me for something that's beyond my control," she said sadly. Caroline was taken aback by her honesty.

She hated arguing. With Elena and Bonnie, she was almost never the one to give in or apologise. Bonnie was the one to calm a situation by finding a solution. Elena the first to make amends. But with Nik... there was a part of Caroline that wanted to please him. She wanted him to be pleased by her...

"I apologise sweetheart," Nik said sincerely. "It was not my intention to frighten you."

"You didn't scare me," she said, shaking her head. "It wasn't fear. It was... I felt unsettled," Caroline explained.

Nik nodded, looking as though he were cataloguing that piece of information for future reference. Then he gave her an expectant look.

"I've never told anyone else," she confessed softly.

Nik cocked one brow curious, but then sensing her trepidation, he took one of her hands in his. He lifted her hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand. Then he led her to the sofa, taking a seat before settling her on his lap. He ran his fingers up and down her exposed back, obviously trying to soothe her, but having the effect of distracting her instead. Caroline tried to take her mind off the pattern he was drawing with the tips of his fingers on her skin.

Taking a deep breath, "that night was the first and only time I was ever forced to turn..." she started.

"The months after I first turned, I was still just a little girl. I would hear the transformation begin. It sounded so painful. Everyone would be crying out in pain. It was scary to witness. The higher the full moon got in the sky, the quicker they would turn into their wolf forms. I would just be there with my arms and legs shackled to the walls, alongside everyone else. But the pain never started, I never started to turn. I was so scared that there was something wrong with me," Caroline explained. "So I closed my eyes and willed myself to turn too."

"The pain must have been excruciating," Nik said, looking at her with wonder in his eyes. "You were only a child."

"I guess my fear over being cast out as different, far outweighed the pain," Caroline scoffed, shaking her head. "As I grew older I realised that there was nothing wrong with me. I just had a choice, ya know... probably because I'm an alpha female. Whilst the others didn't. I turned every full moon out of habit. Every full moon that went by, the transformation became quicker and less painful. I realised that I could remember everything that happened during and after the transformation. For the last couple of years, while I was at Whitmore, I only pretended to chain myself next to Elena when we turned. She would be so exhausted after the transformation. Her wolf would just sleep it off. While I... I would sneak out. I would run. I would run so far and so fast. I would hunt," she chuckled, giving him a wide smile. "I would come back before she even noticed I was gone... not that she would have remembered anything anyway."

"I think that's the difference," she said, sobering. "You were right about the first time. It makes sense that you would have to turn then too. But all the other times," she said, shaking her head. "Tonight was the first time that I chose to turn. For me. I didn't care about anyone finding out. I didn't care about the consequences. I turned because I wanted to turn, and that was all there was to it, and I think that's why you were forced to turn as well."

Lifting her hand slowly, she feathered her finger tips along his jaw. "I'm so sorry Nik," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "If I knew that my freedom took yours away. If I knew that allowing myself to feel superior, made you feel powerless..."

"Sweetheart," Nik breathed.

Shaking her head, "you were vulnerable because of me," Caroline said. "I can't. I don't want to ever be a weakness. Nik I promise... I won't ever turn again. Not unless you're right by my side and we're turning together."

"Caroline, love, I would never ask that of you. To subdue a part of what you are," he said, frowning. "I know all too well what it is to only be half of what you're mean't to be."

"The curse?" she asked, but she was sure of the answer.

Klaus nodded. "When the curse was finally broken, I was free. I became my full potential. I would never wish to take away any bit of who you are. I must admit that I am less than pleased by the consequences..."

"How about a compromise?" she ventured, suddenly coming up with a wonderful idea. Her spirits lifted and he must have noticed, because a smile slowly spread on his face. She giggled. "How about we turn once a month... together?" she asked. He looked sceptical. He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say a word, she hastily continued. "I know it's really painful and you don't have much control," she said softly. "But that's only because you haven't practised," she stated, matter of factly.

"Look, Nik," she said, voicing her feelings. "I know we hardly know each other, and I have no idea how this mate thing is supposed to work. But what I do know is that we're in this together. I don't want to be away from you. And when I am, I don't want anyone to be able to use me to harm you. So I really think it's a good idea for you to have control over yourself when you're in your wolf form... in case of emergencies and stuff, ya know?" she said. Caroline had to bite her lip to stop herself from rambling on any more.

"People can use you to get to me in a lot more creative ways sweetheart," Nik said, his tone almost apologetic. "You're only mortal, after all," he said, his tone even, but in his eyes shown such sadness.

"Yeah," Caroline breathed, slowly getting off his lap. She made her way over the side table and poured herself a drink. They called it liquid courage for a reason.

She downed the contents of the glass in one, coughing slightly as the whiskey burned her throat on it's way down.

At Nik's curious look, Caroline gave a breathless laugh. Then she said, "I think I'm immortal. Like you..."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe you should..."

"If you ask me to stay home one more time Damon, I swear to God, I'll go alone," Elena snapped, quickly lacing up her sneakers.

"I'm just worried Elena. Stefan and I aren't exactly in their good books right now, and you're a werewolf," Damon explained, his annoyance clear. "It's one thing for Stef and I to break curfew to come get you, it's an entirely different matter, us sneaking out and heading all the way over to the Originals."

"I don't care that they're the Originals Damon," Elena said, taking a deep breath before standing up. She stretched lightly, before grabbing her jacket and shrugging it on. "I want to see Caroline. I called you because I thought I could trust you to help, but if you're not up to it, I am more than capable of making my own way over there," she said, making her way over to the open window. She peeked outside, then looked down at the wall of ivy she would have to climb to make it down the two stories.

Damon sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "We're waiting in Stef's red Coupe at the end of the street. Coast is clear so hurry it up will ya," he said, irritation colouring his tone, before ending the call.

Elena rolled her eyes, before climbing down as quickly but as carefully as she could. Looks like being in the girl scouts actually paid off, she thought wryly. When she got near the bottom, she jumped down the last few feet, immediately regretting it as her ankle twisted. She hadn't properly healed, and knew she should be resting, but Elena couldn't get over the way her parents treated Caroline.

She had never been so angry in her life. She loved her parents, and respected them more than anybody. But she, Caroline and Bonnie were _sisters._ There was definitely something going on with the Council, and Elena had every intention of finding out what it was. It was like no one was even bothered to find out who was responsible for the attack any more. Every night her mom would bid her good night, and after her parents thought she had fallen asleep, they would leave. Probably to go to their little secret meetings.

Elena scoffed.

She jogged along at an even pace. Her dark clothes and hoodie camouflaging her in the darkness. Not that there was anyone around in the first place. The three guards were watching TV in the living room, rather than actually guarding the property. That's because there was no actual threat to guard from... this whole idea of a curfew was just a cover. Elena spotted the car, and slid in effortlessly when Damon opened the passenger door.

"Hey handsome," she greeted, pecking him lightly on the lips. She knew he had been irritated with her before, but his mood instantly lifted.

"Hello my little daredevil," Damon said sarcastically. He pulled her tighter against him, as Stefan pulled off without a word.

* * *

**Exit Calm - The Rapture**

"Bonnie's Grams is actually a teacher at Whitmore. Every few months Bonnie would get assigned to go on expeditions of sorts, to do research and gather information for her Grams. And every once in a while, I would go with her," Caroline explained.

At some point, Elijah had overheard their conversation and had decided to join them. Nik's expression had initially been one of anger, but he had simply gotten up and poured a drink from himself and Elijah. Nik had only retaken his seat when Rebekah suddenly made an appearance as well.

Caroline had heard when Rebekah had gotten back. She knew that the Originals could hear every word she was saying anyway, and since the intimate part of their conversation was over, Caroline really didn't mind having them all in the room. From the way Rebekah was gazing intently upon several pieces of art, it was clear being in Nik's studio was a privilege.

"Your parents allowed you to go?" Elijah asked. He looked dramatically better. Though he wasn't in a suit, he had taken a bath and dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark grey dress pants. Caroline was sure that this was as casual she would ever see him.

"No," she stated, earning a somewhat proud smirk from Nik. "Elena covered for us. I had a part time job, so I paid my way."

"The more I learned about myself... well, the more I read about the prophesies made about the first alpha female, the more I wanted to know. Every answer seemed to ask another question. Like those markings on the wall about you, the Original family, I began to realise that there must be a story mean't for me too. There was only so much I could figure out about myself... being able to turn at will, being able to heal myself. I didn't really believe I was immortal until I..."

Caroline hesitated, swallowing down her emotion. "There was so much on the true born alpha male. The Original alpha male. The King of the wolves. I didn't know... I couldn't know it was you," she said, looking at Nik apologetically.

"Bonnie and I were trekking through Indonesia this summer and we came across some Scribes and Monks. Their temple was hidden by magic. Bonnie could sense the spell. She said it was intricate and powerful. So much magic concentrated in one place... she thought we should be respectful enough to allow this witch or warlock to keep their secret," Caroline smiled, remembering her friend's goodness. "Then the barrier started to fade and everything came into sight."

"How peculiar," Rebekah commented, giving Caroline her full attention.

"Bonnie said that it was because we put their need not to be found over our want of finding what we were looking for," Caroline said, smiling sadly. She cleared her throat, trying to clear away some emotion, before continuing. "They knew she was a Bennett witch because they gave her Qetsiyah's grimoire."

Nik and Elijah shared a look. At his calculating look, Caroline found the need to say, "it's no secret that there are only two types of witches to you. Those who serve you well and those who are dead. Let me make it perfectly clear to you right now that Bonnie is in neither of those categories."

Nik looked taken aback by the heat in her tone, but he merely nodded.

"She's my friend Nik. I'm not going to let you use her," Caroline emphasised.

"Of course sweetheart," Nik said. She could tell he wanted to be conciliatory, but she still picked up on the condescending edge of his tone. She opened her mouth to argue further but...

"Did they know who you were as well?" Rebekah asked, her expression looked hopeful of steering the conversation back on track.

After a beat, "yeah," Caroline nodded. "They wordlessly led me to what looked like a small library and gave me a book. It's written in Aramaic, but I don't think that's the language they were speaking. The motioned for me to take it, and when I did, they led Bon and I out. Then the temple disappeared again."

"Have you managed to translate any of it? Perhaps I could be of assistance," Elijah offered politely.

"I am..." Caroline hesitated, glancing at Nik. He frowned. "I can sort of read it... I mean, if I trace my fingers over the words, I can sort of understand what the words could translate to," she said, her voice getting softer.

"Sweetheart, what are you saying?" Nik said, looking at her worriedly. He exchanged another look with Elijah before getting up and making his way over to where she was pacing.

"You remember in the caves?" Caroline said, her breathing becoming laboured as panic started to creep up on her. "You didn't actually need to translate everything for me. I could..."

"Understand what I was going to say before I said it," Nik figured out. "You could read the hieroglyphics," he half asked, half stated.

Shaking her head, "I put my palm flat on the wall. I felt them and the markings weren't markings any more. There were these images that flooded my mind and suddenly I didn't just understand... I... I saw what was happening. What could happen. That's why I started to freak out because I could..." she stopped, her eyes filling to the brim with tears.

"Ssshhh," Nik said, pulling her into his arms and holding on to her tightly. "Sshh sweetheart. It's okay. It's okay."

"It's not," Caroline cried, shaking her head. "I can see Nik. I can see things I'm not supposed to. I'm a freak."

"You're clairvoyant, Caroline," Nik said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, trying to soothe her. "It's akin to Rebekah's ability to detect a lie. It's a gift."

"You don't understand," Caroline choked out. "I can do things... Nik, I can do things that a werewolf isn't supposed to," she said, tears streaming down her face.

Nik frowned, looking down at her.

Nodding, "I can feel, Nik," Caroline explained. As Nik's grip on her loosened, she felt her heart break. "When I touch you, I can feel," she said, as if confessing a deadly sin.

In an instant he released her, flashing away to the other side of the room.

Caroline cried, tremors racking her lithe frame. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold herself together. She knew this would happen. She knew that when she told him she was different, he wouldn't want her any more. That's why she had kept her secrets... no one could know. She was a _monster._

Rebekah's arms were around her before she could even register what was happening.

"You're an empath," Rebekah explained calmly, gently stroking Caroline's hair. "And clairvoyant. It's rare for a witch to be both. For a werewolf, unheard of in my one thousand years roaming this earth. But so are you... you are the only alpha female to have ever existed. Is it truly so strange that you are so much more than a mere wolf?" Rebekah asked, and Caroline could feel the honesty and sincerity in her words.

Caroline's tears stopped. She hiccuped softly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand as Rebekah led her to where Nik was previously sitting. She now noticed that Elijah was standing infront of his brother. They were having a silent conversation.

Nik looked over and caught her gaze. His eyes shown apologetic, and almost ashamed.

Caroline looked down, playing with her nightgown. It was white cotton and lace, with pretty floral patterns. Caroline traced the designs with her fingertips.

"She truly is your mate," Rebekah said, and Caroline knew she was talking to Nik. "She has all the abilities one would need to destroy you."

Caroline gasped, her eyes filling with tears once again. "I would never hurt him," she breathed, confused by why Rebekah would say such a hurtful thing.

"Precisely," she commented, before getting up and taking her leave. Caroline felt, more than saw Elijah leave the room as well.

"This is not how I wanted the conversation to go," Caroline commented, after a few minutes of heavy silence had passed.

"Had you planned on ever telling me that last bit?" Nik asked, still keeping a safe distance away from her.

Caroline scoffed, her hurt turning into irritation. Shaking her head in negation, "with good reason," she replied, unable to keep the bitterness out of her tone. "All trust goes out the window now that you know I can kill you," she spat, getting up and making her way out.

In less than a second, Nik was blocking her path. He still wound't touch her, but he was standing mere inches away. "You can't kill me," he stated, matter of factly.

"Rebekah was right Nik!" Caroline shouted, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "I know how these things work. Bonnie and I grew up together, I've seen first hand how powers grow. I know it's not the same thing, but I can take a pretty good guess. From seeing your thoughts and feeling your emotions, I'll learn how to control them... bend them to my will. I'll make you see what I want you to see, think what I want you to think, feel how I want you to feel. I've tried to suppress it. I've tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away. But every time my mom kisses me goodnight on my forehead, or Bonnie and Elena give me a hug, or... or..." she stuttered, her eyes filling with tears once again, "you looking at me like I'm the most precious thing in the world. Most of the time I could build up a mental barrier and shut it out, but then you look at me and the barrier comes crumbling down and I want to know exactly what you feel for me..."

"I can't," Caroline said, shaking her head. "I can't kill you," she cried, as realisation began to dawn on her. "I can't kill you. Why can't I kill you?"

"Because you're strong," Nik said, slowly reaching out to cradle her face in his hands. He leaned down, resting his forehead against her. "You're beautiful. You're full of light. You're good, Caroline. You're my mate. I'm your mate. Killing me would be like killing yourself," he said, his voice full of conviction.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart," Nik breathed.

Caroline gave a watery smile, putting her hands over his.

* * *

"Oh I'm sorry, I must have missed the part where Caroline was being held here against her will."

"Elena, that's enough," Damon chided, giving Rebekah an apologetic smile.

"You know Caroline's told me a lot about you, but she forgot to mention that you're an insolent little twit."

"Bekah, come on now, Elena's just worried," Stefan added, glancing at Elijah warily. Elijah stood at the foot of the stairway, leaning against the bannister with his arms crossed, the perfect picture of calm. Yet the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. It was first time Stefan had ever seen Elijah without a suit jacket on. He could hear both Klaus and Caroline in a room upstairs, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. They were barely speaking at all.

"Maybe it's just a bad time," Stefan said, exchanging a look with Damon.

Damon frowned. "Elena," he tried, "maybe Caroline will give you a call later."

"I'm not leaving until I see Caroline, and you can't make me leave Damon," Elena ground out angrily. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" she tacked on, narrowing her eyes at him.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Babe, you know I'm on your side," he stated. "It's just that if Caroline is busy right now, then maybe it might not be such a good idea to disturb her," he said, waggling his eyes brows, trying to subtly convey the message Stefan had passed to him.

When Elena frowned, looking at him with a blank expression, he sighed heavily. "Caroline's upstairs. Alone with her mate," Damon listed. "Maybe they're busy," he said, doing air quotes when he said the word busy.

Elena scoffed, waving her hand, a sign of brushing him off. "If Caroline was any where near ready to get busy," Elena said, using air quotes on the words get busy, "with Klaus, then she would have mentioned something to either Bon or I. Since she hasn't, I'm pretty sure Caroline is upset right now, and that's why Miss Original bottle blonde bitch doesn't want me to see her."

"Listen you little," Rebekah nearly snarled, flashing over to Elena. But in an instant, Elijah was blocking her path. Damon had already pulled Elena behind him.

"Bekah," Elijah said softly. "Can you kindly please inform Miss Forbes that her friends are here to see her?" he asked.

Rebekah huffed, clearly irritated.

"Elena?" Caroline asked, her voice coming from upstairs.

"Caroline," Elena responded, walking around Elijah. She ran up the stairs as Caroline ran down the stairs, both girls meeting on the middle platform. Elena catapulted herself in Caroline's arms, making Caroline giggle. Elena laughed. Soon their laughter turned to tears.

"I'm so sorry Care," Elena said, pulling away to look at her friend more closely.

"You have no reason to apologise," Caroline mumbled, eyeing Elena's gym outfit. "I'm guessing you snuck out," she stated.

Elena nodded. "Damon and Stefan drove the get-a-way," she laughed, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "Can I stay here?" she mumbled, wearing a hopeful expression.

"Not if your parents are going to think I kidnapped you," Damon retorted.

"I'm grown Damon, I can do what I want!" she screamed at him. Then in a much softer voice, "I left my mom a note," she explained.

Caroline smiled, turning around to look up the stairs where Nik was leaning against the railing.

He gave a single nod, and an affectionate smile, that seemed just a bit forced, before disappearing into the darkness of the hall.

"Sure," Caroline said, pulling Elena up the stairs.

* * *

**In case of any confusion, these are the definitions I'm working with:**

**clairvoyant - "a person who claims to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact."**

**empath - "a person with the paranormal ability to perceive the mental or emotional state of another individual."**


	13. Chapter 13

**Please keep in mind that I do not have a beta, nor do I have any intention of getting one in the foreseeable future. Any mistakes are just that, mistakes. I hope they would not make a fundamental impact on you enjoying the actual story. **

**With that being said, I want to thank all of you who have stuck by me and stuck by this story thus far. I really do appreciate every single one of you :)**

* * *

"Did you tell her?"

Caroline startled, dropping the carton of milk. Klaus flashed across the room and caught it, walking around her to pour some in the pan she had heating on the stove. As he took out a spoon and started stirring, Caroline took a seat at the kitchen counter.

"I'm surprised you didn't listen in," Caroline stated honestly.

"I went out for a hunt actually," Nik replied, sounding nonchalant. "I don't believe in drinking from blood bags when there are perfectly healthy humans out there."

"Oh wow," Caroline scoffed. "Are you really trying to frighten me right now?" she asked, sounding a little too irritated.

"No," he said, glancing at her. "I'm just being honest sweetheart," he replied softly.

"I... I believe that blood bags are intended for the sick. What if I were to drink a blood bag with a certain blood type, and a patient were to need that specific blood type? I would, for all intents and purposes, be depriving that person the opportunity of being saved. While there are so many humans walking around. I can simply take a bit of their blood, with compulsion it would be as though it never happened," he explained.

"Only it did," Caroline muttered.

"Lesser of the two evils, love," he said, taking the pan off the stove and pouring warm milk into two mugs. He placed the pan in the sink, before cutting off the gas. Then he offered one mug to her. "Not that I usually care about such things," Nik said, as an afterthought. "I enjoy the hunt. I revel in the kill. Human lives are fleeting... inconsequential. My only interest is not interfering with the human population here and causing any further discord between your pack and yourself."

"Gee, thanks," Caroline muttered sarcastically, accepting the mug.

"You didn't answer my question," he said, making his way around the counter and taking a seat next to her.

Caroline sighed. "I've known Elena and Bonnie my whole life. We're the same age. Bonnie was born first. Three months later Elena was born. Then four months later I was born," she said, taking a sip of her warm milk. It was so good. She took a bigger sip, burning her tongue.

"In all these years, I've found out so much about myself, but I've never told them. I've never told anyone," she said, studying him intently. "I'm not going to tell them now. These are my secrets. I get to keep them."

"You told me," Nik stated, giving her a small smile.

Caroline nodded. "You and me. We're mates. I can't... I don't want any secrets between us. I want you to know that you can come to me with anything. I'm on your team... you know that right?"

Nik's smile faltered, but he made no comment.

"And I'm pretty sure you and your family are a package deal, so..." she continued, shrugging.

Nik chuckled at that, offering her one of his dimpled smiles. "You are so sweet," he breathed.

Caroline blushed, looking down.

"You are," he said, putting his index finger under her chin, making her lift her head up. As soon as she met his gaze, he moved his hand away. "You're kind. Honest. I know I can trust you Caroline," he affirmed. "But I've been alive for a long time sweetheart. There are some habits my siblings and I have picked up through the years... I would be far more comfortable being the only one you choose to confide in from now on."

Caroline frowned, a little thrown off by the direction the conversation had taken. "Elijah and Rebekah would never use me to get to you," she said, shaking her head. "They're your siblings. They love you."

Nik sighed. He hesitated for a moment, before apparently deciding to be forthcoming. "I've done many terrible things love... even to them. I fear that in all this time... there simply existed no way for them to harm me in turn. Except now."

Caroline looked away. Taking a drink of her milk that was now cold, she contemplated his words. Simply put, he didn't trust his own siblings. After a thousand years... he guarded his heart from even them.

Caroline felt her heart clench painfully. There was no hope of him ever trusting her then. Did he even realise how much he had come to mean to her? Did he know what it felt like to be cared for? Would he even know what love looked like if it looked him in the eyes?

"You're right," Caroline agreed, giving him a small smile. "In my defence, I didn't intend on saying so much. But... but the next time I have something of that nature to say, I'll tell you first and then we can decide whether we want to tell them. Okay?" she asked, hoping to soothe him. She didn't have to touch him to know how he was feeling. It shown in his eyes that his mind was preoccupied. It shown in his subtly defensive stance. His body was wound up tighter than a spring.

Nik smiled. He got up and collected both their mugs. He leaned in to press a kiss on the crown of her head. "You should get some sleep," he said.

Caroline nodded, taking her leave. "Nik" she called, standing at the threshold.

He looked at her curiously. "Thanks," she breathed, "for not thinking I'm a freak."

Nik's expression softened. "You're not a freak, love. How could you be? So bright and beautiful. You're just different. There's nothing wrong with being different," he said, his tone almost reverent.

"Goodnight Nik," Caroline whispered, emotion clear in her voice.

"Goodnight sweetheart."

* * *

She sat, patiently waiting, as she listened to the car pull into the drive. She looked at the bruises on her wrists... the deep cuts that were sure to scar, thankful though of the herbs used to make her wounds heal faster.

Taking a deep breath, she listened to the front door open and shut. There was shuffling by the door as shoes were kicked off and jacket taken off and hung up. When the kitchen light was turned on, Bonnie was momentarily blinded. But a woman's shrill scream sharpened her senses. Bonnie would have been sorry for scaring the older woman. If she hadn't been so angry.

"Bonnie?" the woman half asked, half stated, her voice sounding breathless. "What are you doing here, child? You should be at the hospital," Sheila said, making her way towards her grand-daughter. "How did you even get here in the first place?"

Bonnie put her hand out, stopping her grandmother short.

Sheila frowned, looking momentarily perplexed.

Bonnie scoffed. "Why? Because you told them under no circumstances should I be discharged? And why should I be at the hospital anyway?" she asked sarcastically, her tone biting. "I'm not sick," she stated, matter of factly. "I'm sure as hell not dying. Contrary to popular belief."

"Bonnie Bennett, you do not speak to me in that tone," Sheila said, outraged. "What has gotten into?"

"What has gotten into me!" Bonnie practically screeched. "No, what has gotten into you? Did you really think keeping me holed up in that hospital room was the best way to deal with things? You insulted an Original Grams! You didn't let Caroline see me. After the way they've been treating her. How could you..."

"How do you know about Caroline?" Sheila asked, cutting Bonnie off. She seemed surprised that Bonnie knew what was going on, but quickly schooled her features.

"Klaus paid me a little visit," Bonnie spat out.

"The Hybrid had no right to interfere..."

"Of course he does!" Bonnie shouted, getting to her feet. She scoffed. "You don't get it, do you? They're mates Grams! Klaus flashed in there and flashed out with me in his arms, before your spell could even tinge his skin pink. You have no idea what he's capable of!"

"And you do?" Sheila asked, giving her grand-daughter a pitying look. "I have been around for a long time child... I'm very well aware of what those monsters are capable of."

Shaking her head, "I'm sorry I couldn't see it before. I'm so sorry that you got caught up in all of this. But I need you to stay away from her from now on... especially since we know what she's really capable of. I didn't want to believe you child... but Caroline's the Hybrid's mate. It means that she's just as much of a monster as he is."

"I should never have told you," Bonnie breathed, looking at her Grams with utter betrayal in her eyes. "You told them didn't you?" she asked, as realisation dawned on her. "Are they all working together? I mean, Liz would never..." she finished, not wanting to follow that train of thought.

"It's not natural Bonnie," Sheila said, sounding somewhat apologetic. "Caroline isn't supposed to be able to do all that she can do. The Hybrid is powerful enough on his own. But him and Caroline together... it's going to create an unbalance we'd never be able to restore. It just can't happen..."

"But what about me? What about Elena? That night... the curfew..." Bonnie gasped, struggling for breath. Her vision became blurred, but she held on to the kitchen counter, trying to keep herself upright. She couldn't stay here. She had to get away.

"I need to go... I need to see Caroline," she tried to say, but she was unsure if any sound actually came out.

"Bonnie?" Sheila asked, worry the prominent emotion in her voice.

Bonnie ignored her, turning to her bag on the counter. She dug in it and found her cell phone, hastily pressing speed dial. Elena... Elena's name flashed on the screen. But as soon as Elena picked up, the phone was snatched from her hand.

"Elena!" Bonnie screamed, as dizziness overwhelmed her and darkness took over.

* * *

"You'd swear that we're running a homeless shelter," Rebekah ground out petulantly, as she set the table.

"Be nice Rebekah," Elijah chided her. "Caroline is part of our family now, and as such, her friends are very much welcome here," he said, as he turned the sausages in peppercorn butter.

Rebekah scoffed. "If what that little witch said is true, we're basically in the middle of a war 'Lijah. Our best bet would be to take Caroline and get the hell out of here..." she offered, as she made her way back to the kitchen. She hopped on the counter, looking on as he stirred the pancake batter.

Elijah looked at her for a moment, his expression blank. "Would it be too much to ask you to place the dishes on the table?" he said politely.

Rebekah rolled her eyes, hopping off the counter. "Quite frankly, it would be. I don't see Nik or Kol helping to do anything," she said, carrying the first dish. "In fact, I don't even think they're home."

"Well you are the lady of the house Bekah," Kol stated, as he sauntered in, looking dishevelled. There were specks of blood on his shirt. "Elijah's actually helping you out right now. Or is Caroline the lady of the house now?" he mused.

"Oh you barbarian, go clean yourself up before someone sees you like that!" Rebekah practically screeched, getting a good look at him. She made a shooing motion with her hands.

Kol merely grinned, making his way to the table.

"Kol you will not enjoy a meal I have prepared in the current state you're in," Elijah stated, making Kol hesitate. "We are having breakfast with Caroline and her friends, for the first time, and you will dress fitting for the occasion."

"Friends? As in, not only the wolf the Salvatores are fond of?" Kol asked, his interest piqued.

Rebekah smirked. "Spot on. The little witch called us to rescue her in the wee hours of the morning. Poor thing."

Kol made a non-committal sound, but perked up at the sounds starting to come from Caroline's room. He listened in for a moment as the girls started to get up. After a while, he shook his head, before flashing away.

Rebekah giggled. "That has disaster written all over it."

"You shouldn't encourage him," Elijah said, shaking his head. "The Bennett witch may be young, but she is very strong. She can cause some serious damage if she sets her mind to it."

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Rebekah replied. "We can all use a bit of entertainment," she said, stifling a giggle at his disproving expression.

* * *

_"I can't believe you'd just chomp on her like she's a piece of meat!" Caroline shouted angrily. They were in his art studio, but Caroline's voice was raised to such a level that he was sure everyone in the mansion, vampire and non-vampire alike, would hear every word of what she was saying._

_"I didn't chomp on her sweetheart," Klaus said patiently, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "I simply took a bit of her blood in the interests of self- preservation."_

_"That's bullshit!" Caroline practically snarled, and he was momentarily taken off guard by the anger in her voice. She was utterly ravishing in her thin night gown, sleep tousled hair, and the heat in her eyes called to him on some primitive level. "Dammit Nik! There's a principle involved! So this morning when you told me you went for a hunt, you were at the hospital kidnapping Bonnie and drinking from her? You can't do that Nik! I get that you need blood to survive of whatever... but I thought it was a given that Bonnie and Elena were off limits."_

_There was a tentative knock on the door. The little witch hoping to offer an explanation, no doubt. But Caroline was not having it. "Not now Bonnie!" Caroline screamed in the general direction of the door. The knocking stopped instantly, and he listened to the witch's footsteps retreat into Elijah's study, where the others were waiting, while Caroline made an effort to get her emotions under control._

_Klaus decided to give her a minute. He knew that she was reeling, but he had faith in her that she would come to the conclusion that they had far more important things to worry about than him taking a bit of her friends blood. _

_Caroline took a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. _

_"I apologise love, for causing you such distress," he stated, honestly. "But surely you can understand why I wouldn't trust her..."_

_"After everything she's told us," Caroline shrugged. __"But you didn't know then Nik," she said sadly, looking up at him from under her long lashes. "You fed from her, so her magic wouldn't work on you in the interest of self preservation... like you said. You didn't know that she was a threat."_

_Before she was finished, he was shaking his head._

_Caroline frowned. "What?"_

_"You need to stop thinking in terms of black and white Caroline," Klaus stated seriously. "Bonnie may be your friend. She may love you and care for you dearly. But if a choice has to be made between you or her grandmother, perhaps. She would undoubtedly choose her grandmother. She may come to regret such a decision. As she has already begun to regret sharing your secrets. Secrets which she has not yet explained how she has come to know of... t__here is no way you could know for sure that her allegiance is to you and you alone. I urge you sweetheart to open your mind a bit to the possibility that truly no one out there can be trusted. The sooner you and I are mated, the faster we could put all this indecisiveness behind us."_

_It was the wrong thing to say._

_Klaus never regretted anything as much as he regretted the implication of what his words mean't._

"Nik, breakfast is ready and everyone is downstairs waiting for you," Rebekah said, as she made her way inside his room. "Kol keeps hitting on the Bennett witch, and then the Salvatores showed up uninvited. They're taking awkward to a whole new level." She stopped at the doorway of his art studio. "May I come in?"

Shaking off his daze, he gave a fleeting glance to the portrait he was working on. "Sure," he muttered.

She frolicked in, seemingly pleased with herself, but stopped short when she caught sight of what he was working on. "That bad, huh?" she asked carefully.

He nodded absently, before putting his paint brush down.

It could have been so much worse. He had mean't to kill the witch. As weak and fragile as she were. The hybrids he had on the look out had noticed one too many secret meetings where the elder Bennett witch was always present. He had thought that perhaps Bonnie had a role to play as well. It had been far too much luck that those men had sewn the little witch's mouth shut instead of merely cutting her tongue out... something he would have done, if the intent was to silence her for good. No. Those men had been merciful. Their true intent was to seriously harm Caroline alone.

It angered him, not knowing. So he had the single minded intent of getting as much information out of the girl as he could before killing her. But he didn't. He couldn't. There was something stopping him... the thought of how much pain such an action would cause Caroline, completely hindered him from his true intentions. He hated it. He hated not being in control. So he did the one thing he could have done to ensure that there would be no retribution... he drank from her. The witch's blood in his veins would make any magic she were to use on him, obsolete.

She didn't know anything at all... much like the Gilbert wolf hadn't known anything. They couldn't be compelled. Possibly the one steady element in their lives were their daily intake of vervain. The Elders on the council had kept their children entirely out of the loop. It was disconcerting, for so many secrets to be kept in such a small town.

If Caroline wasn't an alpha female... he would have already claimed her. All of this would have been so much easier. Klaus sighed, running a hand over his face.

"She seems like she's in a good mood. Better rested and all that," Rebekah offered. "Maybe she's over it?"

Klaus had to chuckle at that. "She's not over it, Bekah. I assure you," he stated, matter of factly, but offered Rebekah a sweet smile.

* * *

"Can you please pass the salt 'Lena?" Caroline asked politely.

Elena frowned, hesitating momentarily, before reaching over Bonnie to get to the salt. She avoided Bonnie's eyes at all costs. It was clear from the past few minutes that Caroline was pointedly ignoring her. "Here you go, Care," Elena said softly, placing the salt shaker near Caroline's plate.

Bonnie scoffed. "Are you being serious right now?" she asked bitterly. "You're acting like I betrayed you when I've been nothing but forthcoming..."

"Bonnie," Elena chided.

"Yeah," Caroline spat out. "Since a few hours ago... when I'm pretty sure you decided for yourself that you didn't have much of a choice!"

"That's bullshit Care and you know it!" Bonnie shouted angrily. "How many times do I have to apologise?"

"You apologising doesn't make it undone Bon!" Caroline said, slamming her fork down on the table.

"Are we missing something?" Damon piped up, looking between the girls who were sitting directly opposite each other.

"It's nothing Damon," Elena hastily responded, giving him a forced smile. "Just leave it alone."

He nodded in acquiescence.

Caroline scoffed. "What's the point? Everyone else knows..." she stated sardonically. She picked back up her fork and took a bite for a good measure.

"Everybody else knows..." he drawled, the question hanging in the air.

"Damon, can you please?" Elena scolded, clearly exasperated.

"That I'm an empath. And clairvoyant," Caroline supplied derisively, ignoring his surprised expression. "Bonnie here... told everyone. I was especially made to kill Nik. But since he's my mate, I'm not going to do that. So everyone thinks that he and I are going to become this unstoppable force intent on enslaving the population and ruling the world. They want to kill us before that happens."

"By they, you mean the Lockwoods?" Stefan half asked, half stated, obviously trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. "The Lockwoods, Bonnie's Grams, Elena's parents, my father. Pretty much the only person I'd bet doesn't want me dead is my own mother. But given a choice between dad and me, I'm sure she'd pick her mate over her own flesh and blood. But yes, Stefan, they as in everybody would rather me dead."

"So the accident..." Stefan mused.

"Wasn't an accident," Caroline stated. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're all working together. But I guess together or separately doesn't matter much when they have the same goal in mind. That's what the curfew was for by the way, to hold their secret little meetings to plot my demise."

"Oh don't be so over dramatic," Bonnie said, rolling her eyes.

"Who says I'm being over dramatic? My whole life has been turned upside down because you couldn't keep your mouth shut," Caroline spat out, catching her gaze. "You know what I am in theory. But trust me when I say, that your Grams... the Lockwoods... even my own father... they have every right to be afraid me. You have no idea what I'm capable of," she said, her tone slightly threatening.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, before Bonnie was the first to look away. She had regret written all over her face, and a small part of Caroline enjoyed seeing it. But when Bonnie's lower lip started to tremble, Caroline felt like she took a punch to the gut.

"I'm so sorry Care," Bonnie choked out. "This is all my fault," she sniffled, "If I hadn't told Grams, then none of them would have known. You'd be leader of your pack. Your father would have accepted Klaus as your mate. No one would be trying to kill you. All of this is my fault," she cried.

"Darling..." Kol started, but stopped himself short.

"I'm so sorry..." she said, getting up and running out of the room.

"That was uncalled for," Elena said softly, after a moment.

"Well she's the one who ruined my life," Caroline answered automatically.

"Really?" Elena asked, placing her napkin on the table and getting up, no doubt to look for Bonnie and console her. "If you'll excuse me..."

But Elena stopped by the door. She hesitated for a moment, before coming to a decision. "You're invincible. Immortal. Powerful," Elena listed. "And we're all here with you. It's us against them," Elena stated, her voice hard. She levelled Caroline with a glare, before finally taking her leave.

Caroline's mouth was agape, like a fish out of water, wondering how the hell Elena could possibly guilt trip her this time. Everyone at the table was quiet, looking at her, waiting for her reaction. She sighed heavily. "Nik can you pass me a bagel please?" she asked softly.

"Of course, love," he said, without skipping a beat.


	14. Chapter 14

Bonnie never cried. Not since she was a little girl, anyway. Bonnie was always the level headed one. Always determined and steadfast in her resolve. She was kind, but brutality honest. Caroline was too. In a lot of ways, their personalities were very similar. Unlike Elena who always seemed to have her head in the clouds. Caroline was optimistic too. She just had realistic expectations to balance her hopes out. While Elena... Elena always sugar coated everything. Well Elena hadn't sugar coated anything about an hour ago, and honestly, it left Caroline at a bit of a loss.

When she opened the door to see Bonnie pawing through her grimiore, face tear stained and looking as though the weight of the world rested on her shoulders; whilst Elena almost levelled her with a glare, Caroline had a somewhat out of body experience. Being an empath mean't that she could perceive the emotions of everyone around her. Everyone had an aura around them, so to speak, the flavour of their ever changing feelings, which Caroline had grown accustomed to associating them with. The emotions in the room ran high right now, and it unbalanced her, causing her to rock back on her heels. This is why she hated confrontation, especially fighting with them. Caroline was so attuned to Bonnie and Elena's emotions, that she could feel what they were feeling right now... from hurt, to anger, to disappointment. Bonnie's feeling of disappointment in herself was what caused Caroline to physically ache.

She took an unintentional step back, her hand automatically over her heart, as the wave of emotion hit her. She stopped herself short, shaking her head to try to clear it, before determinedly taking a few steps inside the room, to open the window. Peering out, Caroline could finally breathe.

"Care?" Bonnie asked softly, a worried expression on her face, as Caroline turned around to face her. "Are you okay?" she asked, sounding so concerned, that Caroline's anger and outrage over her friend sharing her secret, dissolved into nothingness.

Caroline nodded, offering Bonnie a small smile. "What cha doing?" she asked, motioning to the grimiore that was open on the bed.

Bonnie hesitated, before sharing a look with Elena.

Great. So now they were keeping secrets from _her_, like she was the bad guy. Caroline scoffed.

Bonnie and Elena's heads snapped back to her, in an almost comical fashion.

"What? Do you have some deep dark secret you're too afraid I'll spill?" Caroline stated bitterly.

Bonnie frowned, but Caroline could see just a hint of anger shown in her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous," Bonnie muttered. And this was the Bonnie that Caroline knew and loved. Caroline started to feel a bit steadier... a bit more in control of herself.

"Well what was that look about?" Caroline asked, looking pointedly at the two of them.

Bonnie sighed, before sharing another look with Elena.

"Seriously?" Caroline said, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. She was just about to walk out, when Bonnie interrupted her train of thought.

"I need to spell the room first," she stated, matter of factly. Her voice clear and even, obviously unconcerned that the others in the house would hear her intention.

Caroline knew what Bonnie mean't. Bonnie was going to spell the room so that the others outside the room wouldn't be able to listen in, not even with their vampire and hybrid hearing. But the look Bonnie gave Caroline said more than that. The message Bonnie conveyed was clear...

_"This is about us. Not them. This is about you. You. Not Klaus. You."_

After a mere second's indecision, Caroline nodded.

* * *

"So basically, we know nothing," Damon said, taking a decanter of their finest scotch from the scotch bar.

Klaus saw Kol's eyes narrow at the elder Salvatore, and was surprised he hadn't flashed over and grabbed the decanter away from him. He smirked. "Not, nothing, entirely," Klaus said, making his way over to the liquor cabinet and taking out an even finer drink in the form of a well aged bottle of bourbon. He poured a glass for himself and his little brother, offering it to him, before taking his seat.

Their was a beat of heavy silence as the message was made clear.

_"We may be on the same side for now, but all is not forgiven."_

"Well we do know Caroline's dirty little secret," Damon continued, as if their silent exchange hadn't happened. He had moved to stand by the fireplace. "We know that's the reason why Caroline's not the leader of her pack," he stated, "and, maybe even the real reason why the Lockwoods decided to go their separate ways.

So the curfew was really just an excuse for the council members to sneak off and discuss the two of you," Damon said, glancing at Klaus, before motioning upstairs. "But it still doesn't explain the accident," he said, sharing a look with the Ripper.

"The witch said that..." Rebekah started.

"But Bonnie doesn't know who's really responsible for the accident," Stefan said, cutting her off.

Rebekah narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to protest, but Stefan continued before she could get a chance to.

"I know it seems like the council decided to set the whole thing up," Stefan said, "but trust me when I say that Caroline's parents would never have a hand on her being hurt," he said determinedly. "If you're saying that Bill Forbes put up an act when he was looking for her... then you're wrong. Caroline's parents might not be happy about her extra little perks. Or that she wasn't the one to tell them about it. They might even hate the fact that Klaus is her mate. But they'd never hurt her... physically or otherwise."

"I gotta agree with Stef," Damon said, nodding. "I doubt the Gilberts had anything to do with it either," he said, earning a scoff from Rebekah.

"Of course you'd try to save your little she- wolf's parents," Rebekah said, irritation colouring her tone. "You're either with us, or against us Damon," she ground out angrily. "Right now, everyone out there is the enemy, and if you're trying to protect them, then you're the enemy too.

I say we get to the bottom of this the old fashioned way," Rebekah said, a slow predatory smile spreading on her face.

Kol grinned, clapping his hands together. "And this is why Bekah's my favourite. She's the fun one."

"What my sister is trying to say," Elijah cut in, obviously his noble intention to diffuse the tension.

Klaus rolled his eyes.

"... is that we are only hoping to discover the truth of what happened that night, now that we know the why of the matter," he explained, ever the calm one. "It simply won't do to strike potentially guilty parties off the list, simply because you want to."

"I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of picking them off one by one, draining the vervain out of them, and simply compelling the truth," Klaus spoke up, for the first time. "Which had been my original intention," he said, looking between Elijah and Rebekah. "But I had been told that I hadn't the right to decide what to do," he explained, somewhat apologetically.

"Wow," Damon said, half disbelievingly. "Barbie's getting a say in things," he mused. "I thought the big bad was in charge."

"Perks of being the big bad's mate," Klaus replied, nonchalantly, taking a sip of his drink.

But although he said it in an off handed manner, everyone in the room felt the weight of what he had said. Caroline was Klaus's mate. They were equals.

Klaus felt Elijah's gaze resting on him, far longer than the others, and he made the spit second decision to meet his big brother's gaze. Elijah's eyes shown with something Klaus hadn't seen in quite some time...

Pride.

One of Elijah's rare smile's accompanied it.

Elijah's expressions directed at Klaus had been quite favourable since Caroline had come into his life, Klaus realised.

"I think it's either the Lockwoods or an unknown party," Damon ventured, breaking the moment. Once he had regained their attention, he continued. "Let's say they all had the knowledge of what Caroline could do, for quite some time. But it was never a problem really. The council probably saw it as a strength... an advantage they would have over any threat. Then walks in Klaus..."

Klaus couldn't stop the low growl that escaped him.

"Come on now," Damon said looking at him seriously. "You know it's true. It only became a problem when they realised that you might be able to control her too."

"Bonnie was right," Stefan added. "You two together are unstoppable."

"So they needed to take one of you out of the equation," Damon said, smiling, obviously pleased with himself. "They tried to take out the weaker link... when little did they know." He tutted.

"But the men who had tortured them spoke only of hurting her, not killing her," Rebekah said, disagreeing.

"Perhaps that was the initial agreement," Elijah explained, his tone making it clear that he had made a few deductions. "You say that her parents would not intentionally hurt her. So the reality could very well be that they unintentionally did. Allowing her to be kidnapped, in the interests of scaring her, confusing her, and making her seemly unfit to lead her pack. Thus getting her out of the way. But the events that unfolded that night, with regard to her torture went far beyond what they had ever anticipated to happen."

Then turning to Klaus, "If Caroline's parents are truly regretful over what happened to their daughter, I wonder why they would be unwilling to help, or why they would allow the men who subjected Caroline to such mistreatment to slip out of their hands so easily..." he mused. "I'm beginning to think an unknown party is in play. For what could be a greater threat than telling the truth?"

* * *

Erase everyone's memory.

That's the spell that Bonnie wanted to do.

Bonnie didn't even know how to do the spell, though she had heard of it's existence on one of their many travels. It was a simple enough concept... to simply make everyone forget. But they all knew how truly complicated something like that could be.

For instance, what were the consequences?

Would everyone, at the exact moment the spell was performed, suddenly forget why they hated her?

Or would Caroline wake up in her bed, the morning of her birthday party, and the events would be significantly altered once that knowledge was erased from their minds?

Or perhaps, would the spell affect the very moment that Bonnie had discovered Caroline's secret?

What exactly would happen? How would it play it out? How would it affect Bonnie's relationship with her grandmother? Caroline's relationship with her mother and father...

Nik?

How would the spell affect Caroline's relationship with Nik?

She wouldn't be here, with him, in his house. No, she wouldn't need to. The secrets they shared, the bond that was forged, out of shared necessity, would no longer exist, because Caroline would have no need for it. She would happily be at home, or with her pack.

There were too many eventualities to consider. Each one being even scarier than the last.

The endless possibilities suffocated her, and those were just the outcomes.

What were the actual fundamentals to performing such a spell? Memory loss, or time travel... either way the spell would be altering something so significant. Time itself, or someone's mind. Quite a few minds, in fact.

Did Bonnie have the power to perform such a spell? And even if she could, Caroline didn't think the powers to be, that Bonnie had spoken so begrudgingly about in the past, would be pleased that Bonnie was helping her.

It was a lot to think about. So when Bonnie and Elena had explained their plan, looking at her expectantly, Caroline had told them just that.

It was a lot to think about, and Caroline had to decide if the best thing to do would truly be that... to make everyone forget?

Everyone?

"Hey," she hesitated, standing at the threshold. As soon as she had opened the door, all talking ceased at once. Honestly, it jarred her a bit. She hadn't been paying much attention to their conversation on her way over, because she was so deep in thought, but the fact that they had stopped talking so suddenly mean't that they hadn't heard her either. So engrossed in whatever conversation they were having piqued Caroline's curiosity.

"Well don't all stop on my account," she mumbled dejectedly.

Nik frowned, slowly making his way to her, as one would approach a wounded animal. "Are you all right sweetheart?" he asked, softly, looking at her intently.

"Yes," she breathed, as he came to a stop infront of her. "I was wondering if we could chat, actually," she said, throwing a cautious glance at the others inside the room. "In private," she said in a small voice. "Maybe we can take a walk," she added, feeling the awkward tension starting to creep up on her and wanting nothing more than to get away.

"Of course, love," Nik said, offering her a smile.

"Stefan will accompany you," he commanded, without taking her eyes off her, and it took her a moment too long to realise that he wasn't speaking to her.

Caroline frowned, but before she could ask what that was about, Nik's arm was around her waist and he was leading her out.

* * *

They walked in silence, deep into the forest at the back of the Mikaelson mansion, and stopped only when the house was no longer in view. Caroline looked around, knowing that Nik's hybrids were near enough, even if she couldn't see them. They would never leave Nik or her unprotected. But when she had asked to speak to him in private, she had hoped true privacy would be given. She huffed, walking over to a fallen tree trunk and taking a seat.

"You trust your hybrids," Caroline half asked, half stated, looking at him curiously.

Nik offered her a secret smile. "Every single one of them are under my command by their own free will," he explained, "I saw that each of them break their sire bond and choose to become a member of my pack, willingly. One of the many conditions of accepting me as their alpha is that they were compelled to keep my secrets. By extension, they shall keep yours as well."

"So they just allowed you to compel them?" Caroline asked, sounding a bit disbelieving.

"My hybrids and I share a special relationship, sweetheart. Unlike the werewolves, vampires and witches under my command. You see, they can appreciate just what it means to belong to a superior, elite race, so to speak. They understand how truly lucky they are to be amongst the chosen few. Agreeing to a few of my terms are nothing compared to that. Besides, it is a mutually beneficial agreement I assure you."

Caroline frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" She scoffed. "What advantages could they possibly have being your slaves?"

Nik's eyes narrowed infinitesimally, but there wasn't any anger shown there. He was looking at her as though she were a puzzle he was trying awfully hard to figure out.

She sighed. "What I mean is, I just can't understand why they're always around," she explained, shrugging. "Don't they have families? Homes? Jobs?"

As realisation dawned on him, Nik smiled. "None of them have the type of jobs you're alluding to. They all work for me," Nik supplied helpfully. "But most of them are engaged in other activities as well. The younger ones are attending school, or taking courses at least. A few of them are married... they have families... children... grand children. My pack has been with me throughout the centuries, Caroline... one generation after another. Some hybrids hold medical degrees, others belong to charities and travel the world helping people."

Nik chuckled lightly. "They live just as they are expected to live... freely. Understandably, because my family and I travel often, there are a few required to always stay by my side. Others join us at my command. However, they most certainly aren't slaves, and I think they'd be rather insulted that you have that low opinion of them. They're all well taken care of... financially I mean."

At Nik's explanation, Caroline felt silly making assumptions. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she mumbled, looking down in embarrassment.

"There's no need to apologise love," Nik said softly. "I'm well aware that the hybrid species remains somewhat of a mystery to the world, so I expect you to have many questions. I welcome them, in fact."

At that Caroline looked up, giving him a grateful smile. It was nice to know that with everything else going on, he wanted them to get to know each other.

Nik took this a welcome sign. He approached her carefully, coming to stand before her. He lifted his hand, to gently brush the back of his hand across her cheek. "I do so enjoy your curiosity," he murmured.

Caroline blushed, giggling breathlessly.

Then a though occurred to her. "What you said in your studio last night... well early this morning," she began tentatively. "About it being easier if you had claimed me..."

At Nik's expression, she faltered.

"Caroline," he began, apologetically.

After a second's indecision, she decided to continue, cutting him off. "Do you wish I wasn't an alpha female? I mean, you're disappointed right? After all these years of waiting for your mate... you get me," she said, pointing to herself. "I'm sorry it couldn't be easy, Nik. You have no idea how much I wish things could be different," she said sadly.

"Sweetheart that isn't what I mean't at all," was Nik's hasty reply, capturing her gaze, ensuring that she could see his honesty shown clearly in his expression. "I was referring specifically to the fact that perhaps decisions would be easier made if I was the only alpha in our relationship."

He stopped, looking for the words to express what he really wanted to say. He wanted to be honest, but not above hurting her feelings. "I..." he hesitated, "if you hadn't been an alpha, then your pack would have been a non issue. I would have simply taken you away, or dealt with the problems at your behest. It gives me no joy to relinquish my control and to not do as I please. However, I never wish you make you feel helpless... or incapable," he explained, Rebekah's words echoing in his mind.

"I want to give you the world Caroline, but if it is in your power to take it yourself, and it is, then I shall stand by your side and watch you do so. I shall support you, give you strength and encouragement. I yearn to be whatever you need me to be, love... but I..." Nik stopped, a frown marring his features. After a moment he looked away.

Caroline slipped her hand into his, smiling when he intertwined their fingers.

Nik smiled shyly. "This is all very new to me," he said softly. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. Then his expression sobered. "I am the way I am. It is the way I have always been. I will never be good. I can only try to be good to you... I want to try," he said, his voice almost fervent.

"You are," Caroline breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. His confession had touched her very soul. She could feel his honesty, his sheer determination to make her happy. To try... and wasn't that better than anything she could have ever hoped for? A thousand year old immortal creature... the most powerful creature in the world, wanting to try to make her- _her- _happy. It took her breath away.

"You are nothing I had ever expected," Caroline said, finding her voice.

As a dark expression crossed his features, she hastily continued. "And I am so glad. I'm so glad that you're my mate," she said, giggling when she realised what she just said. It was true. She had rarely thought about her mate, before. When she did, it was with ill thoughts bordering on contempt. She had yearned to meet him, defeat him, and scoffed at the idea of ever having to submit to anyone.

Then Nik, the Original Hybrid showed up, and suddenly the rhythm of her heart beat synchronised with his and she hadn't even realised that a part of her had been missing all along.

And she knew that no matter the consequences, she could never agree to Bonnie's suggestion. Caroline would never want to make him forget.

She opened her mouth to bring up the topic that was the initial subject for bringing him out here, when two hybrids suddenly appeared by Nik's side. Caroline startled, gasping. She hadn't seen or heard them approach. They simply appeared out of seemingly thin air.

"Coming from the west end. Two men," one of the hybrids said so softly, that Caroline had to lean closer to hear. "Both armed."

"With marks," the other hybrid said, his eyes keenly surveying the area around them. "I think," he said, shaking his head.

"Better to be safe," the first hybrid said, his head snapping to the left, obviously having heard something.

"Come," Nik commanded, proffering his hand.

As soon as Caroline's hand was in his, he flashed them back inside the mansion. Caroline immediately took a seat, her equilibrium shot because of the less than a second it took Klaus to bring her back inside. When she looked around, she realised that they were back inside Elijah's study, where everyone, with the exception of Elijah, Stefan and Bonnie, were waiting.

"Hunters," Nik almost snarled, earning an almost panicked expression from Rebekah.

"As in the Brotherhood of the five?" Kol asked offhandedly.

When Nik nodded, Kol frowned.

Caroline shared a confused look with Elena, feeling unsure for a moment. She was grateful when Damon was the one to ask, "who the hell are the brotherhood of the five?"


End file.
